Seeking Actor for New Play: Faust Syndrome

Faust Syndrome is a new adaptation of the Faust myth, performing this fall in NYC. The piece follows three activists who strive to end the genocide in Gaza, abolish ICE, and bring an end to American imperialism. When they are approached by the Devil's agent Mephistopheles and offered extraordinary –and terrifying!– power, the age-old Faustian bargain cycle unfurls yet again. The production will feature puppets, a choir, and urgently-need questions around movement building, individualism, and violence.

THEATER IN ASYLUM:
Theater in Asylum makes rigorously-researched, ensemble-driven theater to challenge and empower. We prize the theater as a space — as an asylum — where we can process and question, where reality is temporarily suspended, and where we can create with joy. Since 2010, Theater in Asylum has brought New York artists and not-yet-artists together to read, research, devise, and perform politically charged, of-the-moment new plays.

To learn more about Theater in Asylum, see here.

WHERE:
The Episcopal Actors' Guild in midtown (29th & 5th Ave)

WHEN:

• Rehearsals: September 19-October 28, 2026
• Rehearsals will mostly be nights and weekends.
• Not every actor will be called to every rehearsal. We aim to schedule around people’s availability.
• Performances: October 29-November 15, 2026 (15 total)

PAY:

• $900 stipend
• All collaborators working on the entire process (from first rehearsal to closing night) are paid the same full stipend. Collaborators coming in for just performances or for a short portion of the process are paid a half stipend or hourly. All collaborators are shared on the complete show budget. More on how Theater in Asylum works to share power, time, and money is here.
• Theater in Asylum is seeking an Equity Showcase Code for this production.
• Food: Theater in Asylum provides a snack at all activities longer than 3 hours and a meal at all activities longer than 6 hours.
• Theater in Asylum’s community agreements are here.

THE ROLE:

• Name: Inés
• Latina, in her 60's or older.
• An artist-activist puppeteer and sculptor.
• She has seen a lot and knows – fully – who she is and what she is doing.
• She is sharp-tongued, sometimes even to the point of rudeness, but cares deeply for others and for the movement.
• She is an unstoppable force with little patience for stupidity and vanity.

TO SUBMIT:
If this project sounds exciting to you, please email a headshot and resume to Paul Bedard & Katie Palmer at [email protected].