Background Noise Theatre is looking for emerging, musical, multidisciplinary performers for their cabaret production of How To Succeed In Theatre by Trying Really Really Hard at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival (August 13-23, 2026).
Show Information: Feel like the industry is setting you up to fail? Systemic barriers to success getting you down? Ready to give up and get a real job? Have you ever considered… trying harder? How To Succeed In Theatre by Trying Really, Really Hard is an uplifting story where struggling, disenfranchised artists learn exactly what is wrong with them and how to fix it through the power of being themselves**
**authenticity not guaranteed; “being themselves” in this context is defined as “being attractive, funny, charismatic, outgoing, and confident, even if they are none of these things.
How To Succeed in Theatre by Trying Really, Really Hard is an exploration and celebration of authentic artistic identity through cabaret performance and a means of satirically critiquing theatre industry standards and definitions of artistic “success”, especially in the context of systemic barriers faced by marginalized and underrepresented artists. This show is a follow-up to Identity: A Cabaret, which was produced and directed by Robyn Clark through Sweet Charities Cabaret at MacEwan University in 2024 and was based in arts-based research on authentic artistic identity.
Director/Producer: Robyn Clark
Choreographer/Co-Producer: Astrid Deibert
Audition Information: Please indicate your interest in auditioning by filling out the Google Form linked here. While we will make every effort to see as many people as possible, we may not be able to accommodate every applicant with an audition. All applicants will hear back by May 3rd regardless of whether or not they are selected to audition.
Audition Dates: May 8th 5:45-9:15PM, May 9th 2:45-9:15PM
Successful applicants will receive a link to sign up for an audition slot. They will also be sent a form with three questions about their experiences in the theatre industry and their artistic identity that can be answered either in advance of the audition or in the audition room.
For the audition itself, performers will be expected to prepare a musical performance that tells a personal story. This could be a musical theatre song/pop song performed in a different context than intended, a song with a story spoken before/during/after it, a slideshow presentation done fully or partially in song, a medley of different songs that tell an overall story, or anything else you can think of that is musical and tells your story! If you are unsure if your idea is what we’re looking for, feel free to email Robyn at backgroundnoisetheatre@gmail.com for feedback beforehand.
Please be prepared to sing with a track or acapella if necessary, or to self-accompany! If a self-tape is preferred or required, please indicate this on the initial application form.
Note: All performers should have a strong interest or experience in writing and performing their own material. Experience is not necessary and support will be provided throughout the process, but the idea is to create a show that is customized to the performers’ experiences and how they are viewed by themselves and the industry at large.
Because of the nature of the show, we strongly encourage and will prioritize submissions from artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. If there are any barriers (language, disability or any other consideration) to the process preventing you from submitting, please reach out to Robyn Clark at backgroundnoisetheatre@gmail.com and we will do everything we can to accommodate you! There is also a space in the Google Form to indicate any accessibility needs or accommodations.
Deadline for Applications: May 2nd, 2026 11:59PM