Bring Stories to Life
Wheelock Family Theatre welcomes Equity and non-Equity performers, stage managers, musicians, and student performers to audition throughout the season. We are committed to creating inclusive rehearsal rooms and encourage artists of all backgrounds and lived experiences to audition.
Current Opportunities
When You Trap a Tiger
Based on the book by Tae Keller
Script by Katie Hae Leo
About the Show
In this magical and deeply moving story, Lily and her family move to a new town to care for her ailing grandmother, a transition that feels full of uncertainty and unanswered questions. But when a mysterious tiger from her grandmother’s stories appears, Lily is drawn into a world where myth and memory intertwine, and where the past refuses to stay hidden.
Artistic Personnel
Directed by Michelle M. Aguillon
Casting Supervisor: Carolyn Saxon
Executive Director: Nick Vargas
Important Dates*
First Rehearsal: 01/19/2027
Tech Starts: 02/05/2027
Previews: 02/11 & 02/12/2027 at 10:30am
Opening: 02/13/2027 at 2:00pm
Closing: 03/07/2027 at 2:00pm
Click here for the current rehearsal/performance calendar.
*Dates & times subject to change*
EQUITY PRINCIPAL AUDITIONS
When: Sunday August 23 from 12:00pm to 7:30pm
Where: 180 Riverway | Wheelock Family Theatre
What to Prepare: Please prepare either one side from the production or a monologue of your choosing.
Note, Non-union performers will be seen as time permits on a first come first serve basis. Non-Union performers should prepare one side of your choosing from the production. A sign-up sheet will be available the day-of starting at 11:30am.
NON-UNION Student Performers, ages 9 – 17, Auditions
When: Monday, August 24 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: 180 Riverway | Wheelock Family Theatre
What to Prepare: One side from the production for Lily, Sam, Ricky, or Jensen, depending on the role(s) for which you wish to be considered. Material from outside the show will not be accepted. A reader will be provided to read other roles
Note: if there are no appointments on the Calendly, that means we’re completely booked. However, performers are welcome to join us on August 24 and sign-up for a stand-by appointment in person.
Casting Breakdown
Lily Reeves | 11 years-old. Korean-American. Lily is the youngest in the Reeves family and the heart of the story. Imaginative, observant, and deeply connected to her Halmoni, she often feels invisible—especially after moving to the small town of Sunbeam. Throughout the play, Lily discovers courage, friendship, and pride in her family’s history. She serves as the play’s narrator, frequently breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. (Student Performer Role)
Sam Reeves | 15 years-old. Korean-American. Lily’s older sister, Sam projects confidence and toughness but quietly carries the grief of losing her father. Frustrated by the move to Sunbeam and protective of her family, she struggles to express her emotions while navigating adolescence and unexpected new relationships. (Student Performer Role)
Joan Reeves | 40 to 42- years-old. Korean-American. Joan is Lily and Sam’s mother, navigating life as a newly single parent after the loss of her husband. While caring for her daughters and her terminally ill mother, she strives to keep her family grounded despite her own fears and uncertainty. Loving and practical, Joan often finds herself caught between responsibility and hope.
Halmoni (Ae-Cha Ku) | 60-years old. Korean. Lily and Sam’s beloved Halmoni (Korean for grandmother) is a vibrant, spirited presence in Sunbeam, where she is cherished by her community. Playful, wise, and deeply connected to Korean folklore and tradition, she embraces a world of magic, stories, and superstition that both frustrates and fascinates her family. Beneath her warmth lies a lifetime of memories, resilience, and love.
Ricky Evertt | 11-years old. Any Ethnicity. A cheerful, curious, and optimistic boy whom Lily meets at the local library. Ricky quickly becomes Lily’s first friend in Sunbeam, offering companionship, humor, and unwavering support as she adjusts to her new home. (Student Performer Role)
Jensen | 16-years old. Any Ethnicity. Ricky’s tutor at the library, Jensen is kind, thoughtful, and welcoming. She befriends Lily with genuine warmth and gradually forms a meaningful connection with Sam. Her empathy and quiet confidence help create a sense of belonging for the Reeves family. (Student Performer Role)
The Tiger | Ageless. Korean. A mysterious and magical presence who appears only to Lily, the Tiger is both playful and unsettling. She challenges Lily to confront difficult questions about family, loss, and identity, blurring the line between reality and myth. The Tiger embodies the power of memory, storytelling, and cultural inheritance.
Please note:
- All roles will be Understudied. Understudies will be cast during the principal audition process.
- Student Performer roles are unpaid, with the focus of the experience on the student performer’s growth and development while rehearsing and performing in a professional production. Student performers, in consultation with the creative team, will create personal learning objectives they wish to work on over the course of the process. The creative team, along with other members of the production and the Wheelock Family Theatre staff, will find opportunities within the production experience to mentor the student performer in the outlined learning objectives.
About Casting at Wheelock
Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, recognizes the need for expanding the participation of artists who have been historically underrepresented on stage due to race, ethnicity, disability, gender expression, and sexual orientation. We endeavor to cast these individuals in roles where race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or the presence or absence of a disability is not germane and in which their identities align with those of a character.
Most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns. However limiting the descriptions are, our casting seeks to be inclusive as possible and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with.
We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities.
Wheelock Family Theatre pledges to produce and celebrate theater that is representative of, and centers characters as well as actors who share the diverse and intersectional identities as those that exist within our audiences.
Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.
Questions?
We’re always excited to talk with performers about upcoming audition opportunities.
