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Date Posted:
September 15, 2025
West Windsor Arts is looking for non-union actors from the larger Princeton Junction area to submit either virtually or attend our open call for a staged reading of Hysteria! Or, They Came Through The Air, to be presented on October 26th at 4pm at West Windsor Arts.
We are looking for six fantastic collaborators to work with experienced thespians in putting up a staged reading presentation of this play that explores the 1938 Broadcast of War of the Worlds lead by visionary Orson Welles, and the mass hysteria that the Martian invasion of Grover’s Mill purportedly caused. This comedic ensemble piece uses humor to tell the factual and made up stories of the events, with each cast member playing many memorable characters based on the stories of real people, all in a theatrical radio play setting. Similar plays in regards to style are: It’s A Wonderful Life! A Live Radio Show, 39 Steps, The Complete Works Of Shakespeare Abridged, Godspell, Peter and the Star Catcher, and takes inspiration from the historical docu-storytelling styles of Emily Mann and Tectonic Theater Project.
October 14 — First Read & Intros from 7pm - 10pm
October 19 — Normal Rehearsal between 10am - 5pm
October 22 — Normal Rehearsal between 11am - 10pm
October 25 — Lengthy Rehearsal between 1pm and 10pm
October 26 — All Day, Staged Reading at 4pm
For those who have good availability but are unable to attend the open call on September 28 from 11am - 3pm, please note that through our Audition Form. We have the option to upload a video submission. Please upload a 2 minute monologue that shows us who you are as an actor.
If you can attend the open call but want to submit a monologue as well, please do so via the Audition Form, and note that you will be attending the open call in the form.
Optional Video Submission Instructions — submit a monologue 2 minutes max — Comedic is preferential, comedic and informative also works, and otherwise really anything that shows us who you are.
In addition, please note your availability with the listed rehearsal dates.
Please note that ages are more so what you can play, casting wise.
Molly – 20s - 40s, headstrong
Sam – 20s - 40s, overindulgent
Frank – Plays Over 40, M, consummate professional
Foley – 20s, F, harried and nervous but enthusiastic
Carry – Plays Over 20, F, just along for the ride
Director // Orson Welles – 20s/30s, M, egotistical and ready to die for his art
All non-union actors are welcome to audition. Fill out the Audition Form to get started!
Greg T. Nanni (Playwright) is a playwright, comic book writer, dramaturg, educator, solo show performer, and former Philadelphian now living in the NYC area. He was a member of Witherspoon Circle, Passage Play Lab, Cut/Edge Collective, a former PDC Playwright in Residence at Plays & Players, and the former Literary Manager of the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. He is the Co-Founder of the PDC Playwrights' Happy Hour, and formerly served as President on the board of the Philadelphia Dramatists’ Center. As a dramaturg, he was the former Literary Manager of the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, and assisted Kristina Wong and Aaron Malkin on the inaugural production of KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD (New York Theatre Workshop). As an educator, he has worked with Two River Theater, Horizon Theatre Company, and with high schools around the country. His One Act plays have been featured in Festivals and Readings throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area, and have been produced nation-wide. Solo Shows: FAT and THE DEPRESSION SHOW! Full length plays include: LONELINESS (CU 2020 Workshop Production), THE BEAR IS HERE (BAPF Semi-Finalist), RAGE (Emerson Stage NewFest New Play Workshop 2022), LOVE (AMONG DREAMERS) (Broadway For All THE HOUSE debut lab workshop), VACATIONS, and ANGST. He is a graduate of the George Washington University. He is a recipient of the MFA in Playwriting at Columbia University in 2022, where he was awarded the Dean’s Fellowship. Gregnanni.com
Kelly O’Donnell (Director) is an award-winning theatre director, educator, and trained actor based in New York City. She’s passionate about women’s stories, re-imagined classics, mischievous satires, bilingual theatre, intergenerational theatre, and stories that examine the nuances of gender dynamics and class struggles. As a director she combines rigorous text analysis, tightly-crafted devised movement, and a true ensemble-based rehearsal process to create a highly theatrical experience on stage. As a leader she is nimble, actively committed to collaboration, and very cool under pressure. A co-founder of the critically acclaimed and nationally recognized Flux Theatre Ensemble, she has directed throughout the downtown New York City theatre scene as well as regionally. With Flux she directed Hearts Like Fists by Adam Szymkowicz (NY Times Critics Pick), Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood by Adam Szymkowicz, Dog Act by Liz Duffy Adams, World Builders by Johnna Adams, and Honey Fist, The Sea Concerto, Riding the Bull, and Jane the Plain by Corinna Schulenburg. Regionally she has directed Indecent at Playhouse on Park (Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Director), Wolf Play at Portland Theatre Festival, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson Apt 2B and The Agitators at Playhouse on Park. She's also directed with Working Theatre, Peculiar Works, The Dramatist Guild, The Flea, Boomerang Theatre, Shakespeare and Company, The Lee Strasberg School, NYU Tisch, Temple University, and Lafayette College. She received her MFA in Directing from Columbia University. kellyod.com
Established in 2010, West Windsor Arts is known for its exceptional education, innovative arts exhibitions and community service. West Windsor Arts cultivates the artist within us all, while inspiring a creative community that is engaged, inclusive and equitable.
