Heartwood Regional Theater Company will hold season auditions on Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy iat 81 Academy Hill Road, Newcastle. Plays to be cast include a collection of short plays for two actors and a unique, large cast, original devised work.

From 6 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, actors new to Heartwood who would like to be considered for primary roles, should bring a monologue to perform and meet briefly with Griff Braley.  Between 7 - 8 p.m. all interested auditioning actors (new and returning) should join a read-through of "The Machine Stops," scheduled as the final play in Heartwood's season, July of 2026.  A final callback is highly likely - probably in early January 2026.

Scheduled first onstage in 2026 is "An Evening of Two-Handers," May 7 – 9. These short plays for two actors include Jayne Decker's "Uninvited," an intriguing, somewhat haunting story that premiered at the Maine Playwright's Festival at Portland Stage, in May of 2025. Additional titles will depend on audition turnout. Pieces by Arlene Hutton, Anton Chekhov, Dorothy Parker and others are under consideration. Roles are not pre-cast, though Heartwood often pulls from a reliable local pool of talent.   

"The Machine Stops" will premiere on July 17 and run through July 25. This original play by Griff Braley, is adapted from E.M. Forster's short story, as an ensemble piece with layered elements of acting, movement, dance, sophisticated theater tech, instrumental and vocal music, and storytelling. Shorter versions of this play appeared at the Maine Playwright's Festival in May of 2025 and as a high school one-act in 2023. After considerable development, this piece has been reworked and expanded for a Heartwood staging in the Poe.  An ensemble of up to 20 actors will be a primary feature of the production, using physical movement to make stage pictures, creating an aural landscape, shifting in and out of numerous character roles, and often carrying the play on their backs - sometimes, literally. Six primary characters form the basis of the story, with the ensemble in constant motion.

"The Machine Stops" requires actors who are relatively agile, able to lift a bit, can sing in a group, and will take a serious approach to devising a new play. Ensemble members, particularly, should be willing to experiment and challenge themselves in a group setting, creating a host of character roles. The play will do best with a wide variety of "types" of performers.

To send a resume or forward a question email Heartwood’s Artistic Director Griff Braley at braley@lincolnacademy.org.