UPCOMING AUDITIONS:

JUNE 8 2:00 PM -10:00 PM | RITUAL & RHYTHM : AN IMMERSIVE READING SERIES

SEEKING ACTORS, RAPPERS, SINGERS, AND DANCERS

CITY OF WATER
A new work by Isis Elizabeth | Directed by Lo Williams

Set during the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave, City of Water is a work of poetic realism following a former emcee and her teenage daughter as they navigate survival in a system failing them in real time. When a dangerous piece of her past resurfaces with an opportunity that could change everything, she must choose between escape and survival, while her daughter imagines a world beyond the heat.

Rehearsals: June 29 – July 4, 2026

Tech: July 6 – 9, 2026

Performances: July 10 – 12, 2026
Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM & Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 PM

CASTING BREAKDOWN

JUDY

Late 20s–Early 30s | Black / African-American | Female-Identified
A former emcee carrying the weight of deferred dreams, survival, and memory. Fierce, guarded, magnetic, and deeply vulnerable beneath the surface. Must be comfortable with rhythm, musicality, and rap performance.

CANDICE

Actor 18+ to play 15 | Black / African-American | Female-Identified
Judy’s daughter. Bright, observant, imaginative, and emotionally perceptive beyond her years. She dreams beyond the confines of the neighborhood and the heat pressing in around them

REESE

Late 20s–Early 30s | Black / African-American | Male-Identified
A figure from Judy’s past whose return reopens old wounds and unresolved possibilities. Charismatic, layered, and emotionally complex.

MISS EDDIE

50s–70s | Black / African-American | Female-Identified
A neighborhood elder and witness to generations of survival. Grounded, sharp-witted, compassionate, and resilient.

Compensation: $150 Stipend

RHYME DEFERRED | by Kamilah Forbes with Chadwick Boseman

Lyrics by Chadwick Boseman | Additional Lyrics by Oberon K.A. Adjepong and Jabari Exum

Directed by Aaron Reese Boseman

A hip-hop reimagining of Cain and Abel, Rhyme Deferred follows two brothers — one a fading mainstream star, the other an underground prodigy — locked in a battle over artistry, integrity, and survival within a predatory industry.

Rehearsals: July 6 – 12, 2026

Tech: July 13 – 16, 2026

Performances: July 17 – 19, 2026
Friday & Saturday at 7:30 PM & Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 PM

Chicago Live! at Navy Pier — Rhyme Deferred
If selected for Rhyme Deferred, would you be available to participate in an additional performance opportunity as part of Chicago Live! at Navy Pier? 

Rehearsal Period: Week of September 13, 2026
Performance Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Parking, meals, amenities, and an additional stipend will be provided.

CASTING BREAKDOWN

HERC

20s–40s | Male-Identified | Open Ethnicity
A former titan of commercial hip-hop wrestling with relevance, ego, legacy, and survival. Magnetic, dangerous, charismatic, and emotionally volatile. Must rap.

INVINCIBLE SUGA KANE

20s–30s | Black / African-American | Male-Identified
A brother caught between loyalty, ambition, and self-preservation. Charismatic with emotional depth beneath the bravado. Must rap.

GABE

20s–30s | Black / African-American | Male-Identified
An underground lyricist with raw brilliance and uncompromising artistic integrity. Hungry, observant, poetic, and fiercely intelligent. Must rap.

EVE

20s–30s | Black / African-American | Female-Identified
Sharp, emotionally intuitive, and deeply rooted in the culture surrounding these men. Carries strength, vulnerability, and lyrical precision. Must rap.

SHAMEKA HOECLEAN / RECORD LABEL EXECUTIVE

20s–30s | Female-Identified | Open Ethnicity
A powerful industry figure navigating commerce, image, manipulation, and survival within the machine of hip-hop. Commanding, strategic, and unapologetic. Must rap.

HEADZ

Open Gender / Open Ethnicity
An ensemble of cyphers, voices, industry players, witnesses, and the pulse of the culture itself. Strong movement, musicality, and rhythmic instincts encouraged. Must rap.

READING/WORKSHOP COMPENSATION: $150 Stipend

+ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION (Navy Pier Live!: $150 Stipend

TOTAL STIPEND (Including Navy Pier Live!): $300

ABOUT  RITUAL & RYTHYM
Rhythm and ritual are the foundation of this festival’s form and function. We are interested in how repetition, music, movement, and language create containers for memory, grief, joy, and release. Rhythm lives in breath, in heartbeat, in the cadence of speech; ritual lives in what we return to; habits, traditions, survival practices, and acts of care.

These readings are not static presentations, but living environments. Audience and performer share space in a way that blurs observation and participation. Through heightened language, hip-hop aesthetics, and embodied storytelling, we investigate how ritual can hold pain without spectacle and how rhythm can guide both rupture and healing

All rehearsals and performances will take place at eta Creative Arts Foundation.

HOW TO SUBMIT/ NEXT STEPS:

1. Prepare: Access audition sides here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h6yIyqMKIjLTP1YdLD-QMv2ZGwuK-0Vj?usp=share_link

2. Form: Complete the audition and availability form: https://forms.gle/Q8QN1AaZ2sx7d7sU

3. Sign Up: Select a 10-minute audition slot: https://signup.com/go/oaTrReU

   
   

Any questions or concerns, please contact us pulsetheatrecasting@gmail.com

Additional Notes: If you are preparing for a single role or character, please come familiar with all sides assigned for that role.

If you are preparing material for multiple roles or productions, we encourage you to build a focused audition package that feels sustainable and best showcases your artistry. There is no expectation to prepare every side provided. We recommend preparing approximately 1–2 sides per character you are interested in exploring.

Sides do not need to be fully memorized. We simply ask that performers arrive familiar with the material and prepared to actively engage with the work in the room.

For performers auditioning for Rhyme Deferred, actors are encouraged to bring their own rhythm, cadence, and flow to the scripted rap material. As part of the rehearsal process, portions of the work will be collaboratively devised and shaped in the room. Performers are welcome to rap a cappella or bring a beat that supports their interpretation and artistic vibe.

We are excited to experience the unique energy each artist brings into the space and look forward to discovering what resonates throughout the process.