Season Auditions
The Treehouse Collective is thrilled to announce auditions for its 2025-2026 season:
The Ballad of Little Jo
Music by Mike Reid
Lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger
Book by Sarah Schlesinger, Mike Reid and John Dias
Based on the film The Ballad of Little Jo by Maggie Greenwald
October 17 - November 2, 2025 - The Plaza Theatre at The Boston Center for the Arts
Director: Katie Swimm
Music Director: Jeff Kimball
Winter Reading Series
Directed by Shira Cahn-Lipman and Chelsea Zabel
The Treehouse Collective is thrilled to kick off our annual Winter Reading Series featuring staged readings of infrequently performed work.
Our Winter Reading Series is still in development, and we anticipate holding the event in early February 2026. We look forward to inviting interested actors for a callback in Fall 2026. If you wish to be included in our updates about this exciting project, please sign up for an audition slot and you'll be able to indicate your interest. Folks interested in auditioning exclusively for the Winter Reading Series should prepare a side from Mariette in Ecstasy.
Mariette in Ecstasy
Adapted by Christina Calvit
from the novel by Ron Hansen
April 3 - April 19, 2026
The Black Box Theatre at The Boston Center for the Arts
Director: Katie Swimm
Audition Dates & Signups
Initial Auditions: Sunday, May 11 and Sunday, May 18 from 2:00pm - 7:00pm.
Callbacks for The Ballad of Little Jo will be held Thursday, May 22nd, from 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Callbacks for Mariette in Ecstasy will be held May 29th, from 6:30-9:30pm. Callbacks for our Winter Reading Series will be held at a later date. All auditions and callbacks will be held at Somerville Music Spaces, 1060 Broadway Suite C101B, Somerville, MA 02144.
The Treehouse Collective strongly prefers in-person auditions. We will accept video submissions in lieu of in-person auditions for those who cannot attend due to a conflict. Callbacks, however, must be attended in-person. If an actor who we wish to call back cannot attend on the listed dates, we will make all reasonable efforts to schedule an alternative. Thank you for understanding.
Actors will be seen individually, with 15 actors being seen in each hour. Please sign up for a time slot using the link below. After signing up, actors will be given access to audition instructions, sides, and copies of the scripts.
Sign Up Here!
If you are submitting a video for your initial audition, please submit no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, May 16 by emailing your monologue and/or song (MP4, YouTube link, etc.) to treehousecollectivecasting@gmail.com. You will receive a link to submit an audition form (including an opportunity to upload a resume and headshot and indicate the productions and character(s) you are most interested in) once your video is received.
Audition Materials & Forms
Within 48 hours of signing up for an audition slot, actors will be sent access to a Google Drive folder containing the appropriate sides to prepare as well as copies of the script. The sides do NOT need to be memorized, but actors are encouraged to be very familiar with the material. This email will also contain the link to submit an audition form (including an opportunity to upload a resume and headshot and indicate the productions and character(s) you are most interested in. Please note:
Actors interested in auditioning for The Ballad of Little Jo should prepare the vocal side for the character they are most interested in of the sides provided. Sides are not provided for every character.
Actors interested in auditioning for Mariette in Ecstasy and/or the Winter Reading Series should prepare the side for the character they are most interested in of the sides provided. Sides are not provided for every character.
Actors who wish to audition for BOTH Mariette and Jo should prepare one side from each production.
Compensation
The Treehouse Collective believes that all members of a production team should receive pay for their labor - from the director to the actors to the tech team. Our pay equity model aims to acknowledge the different requirements of each role on the production team both onstage and off while sharing collectively in the success of the production. Additional details about our pay equity model will be shared upon offer. Please reach out with any questions about compensation. Please note: The Treehouse Collective cannot provide housing or transportation for their productions.
Questions?
Please email The Treehouse Collective with any additional questions: treehousecollectivecasting@gmail.com
Production Details
The Treehouse Collective is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive community: on our stage, through our creative and technical teams, and in our audiences.
We have noted the pronouns used in the script to refer to characters in the play. While many of these roles are written on the gender binary (he/she), we invite and encourage gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with.
The Ballad of Little Jo
Inspired by a true story, The Ballad of Little Jo, recounts the life of Josephine Monaghan who leaves her home and child in Boston to make a life for them both out West. With no other resources, Josephine begins to work in a mining camp in Idaho, disguised as a man known as “Jo.” With a folk-infused score by Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter Mike Reid and lyricist Sarah Schlesinger, Little Jo explores identity, prejudice, fear, and the beauty and horror of the American West at the end of the 19th century.
Note: The play takes place over the course of 18 years. Actors of any age who are comfortable exploring this time lapse are welcome to audition for any role. All the roles, with the exception of Josephine/Jo Monaghan, play multiple characters.
Josephine Monaghan/Jo Monaghan (she/her) - Josephine begins the play as an unwed mother who leaves Boston to make a home for herself and her son. She dresses as a man and adopts the name “Jo” in order to survive in an Iowa mining camp. This character experiences gender-based violence throughout the play. Vocal Range F#3-E5.
Sara Stewart Ellis (she/her) - Sara is a waitress at the saloon in Silver City. Marries Jordan Ellis but is in love with Jo Monaghan. Vocal Range F3-G5.
Caroline Williams (she/her) - Caroline is the owner of the saloon in Silver City. Vocal Range A3-A4.
Jordan Ellis (he/him) - Miner in Silver City who marries Sara Ellis. Becomes best friends with Jo Monaghan.
Observer/Tien Mien Wong (he/him) - Chinese immigrant hired by the mining company to work in Silver City and is perceived as encroaching on the jobs of the other miners. This character experiences race-based violence in the play. Vocal Range Bb2-G4
Conductor/Percy Corcoran/Walter Travers (he/him) - Percy Corcoran is a miner in Silver City. Walter Travers is a representative from the mining company. Vocal Range D3-E4.
Tommy Kelly/Lawrence Cavanaugh (he/him) - Tommy Kelly is a miner in Silver City. Lawrence Cavanaugh is Jo’s son, who comes to Silver City to find her after he turns eighteen. Ideally, the actor playing Tommy plays guitar. Vocal Range B2-G4.
Thomas Harrison/Ethan McClellan (he/him) - Thomas Harrison is a miner who seeks to protect Josephine on her journey West. Ethan McClellan is a miner in SIlver City. Vocal Range E3-D#4.
Horner Burns/Ernie Stratton (he/him) - Horner Burns is a soldier who harms Josephine on her trip West. Ernie Stratton is a miner in Silver City. Vocal Range D3-F#4.
Kate Monaghan/Jeannie Kelly (she/her)b - Kate Monaghan is Josephine’s sister, who raises her son, Lawrence, in Jo’s absence. Vocal Range F3-F5.
Lee Gibbs/Daniel Leary (he/him) - Lee Gibbs is a soldier who harms Josephine on her trip West. Daniel Leary is a miner in Silver City. Vocal Range A2-F#4.
Marian Cummings/Cora Reilly (she/her) - Marian Cummings runs a general store and aids Josephine on her journey. Cora lives in Silver City. Vocal Range E3-F#4.
Rehearsals and Performances:
All rehearsals will be held at the Arts Resource Room at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street) or the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts (539 Tremont Street)
Rehearsals will begin on Saturday, September 20th, 2025. Weekly Schedule is Monday - Thursday, 6:00-10:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am-6:00 pm. All actors will NOT be called for all rehearsals.
Tech Week begins Sunday, October 12th
OPENING NIGHT: Friday, October 17th, 7:30pm
Saturday, October 18, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 19, 2:00pm
Friday, October 24, 7:30pm
Saturday, October 25, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 26, 2;00pm
Monday, October 27, 7:30pm (Industry Night)
Friday, October 30, 7:30pm
Saturday, November 1, 7:30pm
Sunday, November 2, 2:00pm
Due to the short nature of the rehearsal period, very few conflicts can be permitted. Conflicts will not be permitted for performances.
Mariette in Ecstasy
Based on the best-selling novel by Ron Hansen, Mariette in Ecstasy, explores questions of faith, fear, and sexuality against the backdrop of a convent in the early-20th century. When the young postulant, Mariette, enters The Sisters of the Crucifixion, she arrives with a fierce commitment to God that manifests in divine visitations and visions. Her presence destabilizes the quiet life of her fellow sisters and religious leaders and inspires a crisis of belief and identity that leaves no one in the community untouched.
Reverend Mother Celine (she/her) - late 30's-early 40's, prioress. Educated, attractive, if she weren't in a nun's habit you'd think she was the lady of a great household (Double Cast with Village Woman)
Mother Saint Raphael (she/her) - 55-65, mistress of novices. Educated, sharp, determined. Former Reverend Mother.
Sister Catherine (she/her) - 60-70, extern sacristan. Pious, spiritual, joyful. Came from an artistic family.
Sister Agnes (she/her) - 45, laundress. Down to earth, salty. Not educated, but plain spoken and forthright.
Sister Marguerite (she/her) - mid-30’s - librarian. Learned, refined. An intellectual. Emotionally dry.
Sister Aimee (she/her) - late 20's, Infirmarian. No nonsense and direct. She would probably have been a fine doctor if women had been encouraged to study.
Sister Hermance (she/her) - 22, novice. Sweet, enthusiastic, given to fantasies and enthusiasms.
Sister Genievieve (she/her) - 21, novice. Sharp tongued, a bit discontented. Cousin to Philomene.
Sister Philomene (she/her) - 22, novice. Bookish and earnest. Perhaps a bit lanky, physically awkward. Acutely aware of the "rules."
Mariette Baptiste (she/her) - 17, postulant. Charismatic in a quiet way, attractive, intelligent. A person others want to be.
Pere Mariott (he/him) - 60, the convent priest. Fragile, aware of his own mortality.
Dr Baptiste (he/him) - 45-50, father to Mariette and Reverend Mother Celine. A man very much of the world, a country doctor, well-educated, who enjoys the pleasures of this world.
Rehearsals and Performances:
All rehearsals will be held at the The Black Box Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts (539 Tremont Street).
Rehearsals will begin on Monday, March 16th, 2026. Weekly Schedule is Monday - Thursday, 6:00-10:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am-6:00 pm. All actors will NOT be called for all rehearsals.
Tech Week begins Sunday, March 29th
OPENING NIGHT: Friday, April 3, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 4, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 5, 2:00pm
Friday, April 10, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 11, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 12, 2:00pm
Monday, April 13, 7:30pm (Industry Night)
Friday, April 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 18, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 19, 2:00pm
Due to the short nature of the rehearsal period, very few conflicts can be permitted. Conflicts will not be permitted for performances.