Applications will be accepted electronically only, by e-mail to info@qldshakespeare.org (if electronic submission is not possible, please contact QSE at the same e-mail address well in advance of the deadline to request an alternative).

Applications must be received by 5pm on Friday 21 November and must be complete.

Make sure that your application includes ALL required documentation, or it cannot be accepted. Each of the following should be a separate document, ideally JPEG for the headshot and PDF for other documents. Applications should include:

• your headshot (ideally A4 size / high resolution)
• your acting CV
• a one-page cover letter, as a separate attachment (ie not in the body of the e-mail) that:
  • clearly states whether you are auditioning for the Core Ensemble or Apprentice Program (or wish to be considered for both)
  • includes contact details; specifically mobile and/or home phone number/s and an e-mail address
  • indicates if you have a preference for a particular audition time
  • details why you would like to work specifically with QSE
  • assesses your strengths and challenges as an actor
  • if you have specific time restrictions for your initial audition on Saturday 29 or Sunday 30 November, please make these explicit in the cover-letter, otherwise we cannot guarantee you a specific time.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS.

Please ensure you have read the Crucial Dates section prior to applying.

Once we have received your application we will send you an e-mail acknowledging receipt, along with information about QSE and our 2026 activities. Your audition time will be e-mailed to you on or by Monday 23 November.

Please note that not all applicants will necessarily be offered auditions.

Prepare two pieces from any of Shakespeare’s plays, one comic piece and one dramatic piece (not necessarily from a comedy and a tragedy/history, just one piece with a comic tone and one with a darker/heavier tone). Each piece should be between one and two minutes long, and speeches do not need to be age/gender appropriate. Choose something with which you feel a personal connection.

Initial auditions will take place at the Avalon Theatre (University of Queensland, St Lucia) and will consist of 15-minute slots in the following sessions, by appointment only: the afternoons of Saturday 29 November and Sunday 30 November.

Callbacks will take place at the Avalon Theatre (University of Queensland, St Lucia) and will consist of a group session from 6-11 pm on Monday 1 December that will include voice, Shakespeare, group work, and improvisation. You MUST be available for the entirety of this callback to be considered for the Core Ensemble or Apprentice programs.

In order to be accepted into the Apprentice program, you must be available for the following dates in 2026:

• Initial company meeting: Sunday 8 February, 6-10pm.
• Residential Training Intensive at Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island): 16 – 22 February (dates include travel days).
• Regular Advanced Training: 6-10pm Wednesday nights from February 25 to April 15, with a public sharing in April (must be available evenings April 21–25).
• Apprentices must be available the second Sunday of each month from March through July.
• Apprentices and NEW Core Ensemble members: training in voice and acting on the weekends of February 28/March 1, March 7/8, and 14/15 from 9am to 5pm on each day.

More detailed information about 2026 activities and events will be provided prior to the audition.