AUDITION NOTICE: Cheaters - Spotlight Theatrical Company

Title: Cheaters

Presented By: Spotlight Theatrical Company

Genre: Comedy / Farce / Romantic Comedy

Synopsis: Written by Michael Jacobs, Cheaters is a fast-paced American farce exploring love, marriage, infidelity and the complicated relationships between parents and their adult children. Allen and Michelle have been living together for eighteen months. As their first serious relationship develops, Michelle believes they should get married, but Allen isn't convinced he's ready for that commitment. Frustrated by his hesitation, Michelle turns to her parents for relationship advice. Unfortunately, neither family is in a position to offer much wisdom. Unbeknownst to Michelle's father, the woman he has been having an affair with for the past six months is Allen's mother. Meanwhile, Michelle's mother has recently spent the night with Allen's father and is eager to continue their relationship. When the parents arrange a dinner to share their supposed maturity and experience with the young couple, their tangled romantic secrets threaten to unravel. As misunderstandings, revelations and increasingly desperate attempts at deception collide, everyone is left scrambling to protect themselves in this outrageous comedy about love, romance and infidelity.

Audition Date: Sunday 15 November 2026

Audition Time: 10:00am

Audition Location and Address: Studio 2, 4/50 Johnston Street, Southport QLD

Audition Requirements:

• All performers must use an American accent. Although the play is set in New York, a strong Bronx-style accent is not required.

• Auditions will involve performing selected scenes from the script. Applicants should familiarise themselves with the relevant audition excerpts:

• Monica and Howard: Pages 7–8

• Grace and Sam: Pages 12–14

• Allen and Michelle: Pages 18–20

Audition Pack: Download Cheaters Audition Package (PDF)

Director Contact:

• Phone: 0413 666 815

• Email: dawn.china@bigpond.com

Performance Dates: 4–20 March 2027

• Thursday 4 March

• Friday 5 March

• Saturday 6 March

• Sunday 7 March

• Thursday 11 March

• Friday 12 March

• Saturday 13 March

• Sunday 14 March

• Thursday 18 March

• Friday 19 March

• Saturday 20 March

Performance Times:

• Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 7:30pm

• Sunday: 2:00pm

Performance Location: Spotlight Theatre, Gold Coast QLD

Rehearsal Dates:

• Wednesday 18 November 2026: Cast read-through at Seachange, Upper Coomera.

• First Rehearsal: Sunday 22 November at 10:00am.

• Rehearsals will initially take place on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

• An additional weekday evening rehearsal may be introduced closer to opening night.

Warnings: The play contains adult relationship themes, including infidelity, extramarital affairs, deception.

Performer Age: Adult performers. Suggested character playing ages are approximately 25 for the younger couple and 50s for the parents. These ages are flexible.

Creative Team:

• Playwright: Michael Jacobs

• Director: Dawn China

Production Website: https://www.spotlighttheatre.com.au/auditions

Available Roles/Character Breakdown

MONICA

• Gender: Female

• Playing Age: 50s (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Howard's wife and one of the four parents whose tangled romantic relationships drive the comedy. Loud, demanding and abrasive, Monica is a forceful personality who is accustomed to expressing exactly what she thinks. She is also entangled in the complicated web of secret infidelity, and her romantic involvement with Allen's father contributes to the chaos that unfolds when the families come together.

• Performance Requirements: Strong comedic timing, confident stage presence and the ability to portray an outspoken, demanding character.

• Audition Material: Pages 7–8, with Howard.

GRACE

• Gender: Female

• Playing Age: 50s (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Sam's wife and a woman who values control, order and propriety. Sometimes devout or rigid in her outlook, Grace attempts to maintain a composed exterior while navigating unexpected romantic complications. Her involvement in the increasingly tangled family relationships challenges her sense of stability and control.

• Performance Requirements: Strong character acting, precise comedic timing and the ability to portray a controlled personality whose composure is tested by escalating circumstances.

• Audition Material: Pages 12–14, with Sam.

HOWARD

• Gender: Male

• Playing Age: 50s (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Monica's husband, a self-absorbed, bullying or hapless man who has allowed an extramarital affair to continue far longer than intended. Having secretly been involved with Allen's mother for six months, Howard is now looking for a way out of the relationship. His attempts to escape the situation become increasingly complicated when the families arrange to meet.

• Performance Requirements: Strong farcical instincts, expressive characterisation and the ability to portray selfishness, desperation and comic discomfort.

• Audition Material: Pages 7–8, with Monica.

SAM

• Gender: Male

• Playing Age: 50s (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Grace's husband, a sensitive, downtrodden and insecure man who finds himself caught up in an extramarital relationship. Unlike some of the more domineering personalities around him, Sam is emotionally vulnerable and frequently uncertain of himself. His involvement in the family's romantic entanglements creates further complications as the secrets begin to emerge.

• Performance Requirements: Strong reactive comedy, emotional vulnerability and the ability to portray insecurity and discomfort.

• Audition Material: Pages 12–14, with Grace.

ALLEN (ALAN)

• Gender: Male

• Playing Age: Approximately 25 (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Michelle's boyfriend of eighteen months. Having entered his first serious relationship, Allen is uncertain whether he is ready for marriage despite Michelle's desire to take the next step. His reluctance to commit sparks the central conflict of the play, prompting Michelle to seek advice from her parents. As the older generation's romantic secrets begin to emerge, Allen finds himself caught in an increasingly absurd family situation.

• Performance Requirements: Naturalistic acting, strong comedic timing and the ability to portray hesitation, uncertainty and relationship conflict.

• Audition Material: Pages 18–20, with Michelle.

MICHELLE

• Gender: Female

• Playing Age: Approximately 25 (flexible)

• Accent: American

• Allen's girlfriend of eighteen months. Michelle believes their relationship has reached the point where marriage should be the natural next step, but Allen's hesitation leaves her frustrated and uncertain about their future. Seeking reassurance and advice, she turns to her parents, unaware of the complicated romantic secrets that connect both families. Her desire for commitment sets the events of the play in motion.

• Performance Requirements: Strong comedic timing, emotional authenticity and the ability to portray determination, frustration and romantic uncertainty.

• Audition Material: Pages 18–20, with Allen.