Sea Tea Improv

Frequently Asked Questions about Auditions

What will we be looking for during the audition?

Sea Tea Comedy Theater’s Artistic Team wants to see you:

• Support your scene partner’s ideas and make them look good
• Play to the top of your intelligence
• Carry a strong stage presence
• Commit to your scenes and the choices you and your scene partners make
• Ground your scenes in reality, and make bold choices to follow the fun!

Ahh! I have plans. What if I can’t make the auditions or callbacks?

Email auditions@seateaimprov.com to find out about makeup dates.

If I’m cast, when would I perform?

Sea Tea Comedy Theater will have shows every Friday, Saturday, and select Thursdays and Sundays. It varies! The frequency that any given team will perform can vary depending on the team’s availability, the total number of teams selected through auditions, the quality of the team’s performance, and the Theater’s Artistic Calendar.

When will I know if I am cast?

Sea Tea Comedy Theater will release the cast lists for all auditions simultaneously at the end of the entire Theater Audition process.

Can I audition for more than one opportunity?

Yes, you can audition with a Team, or as an Individual to be placed on a new Team. You must audition separately in order to be considered for each opportunity.

Which opportunities are paid?

Performances at Sea Tea Comedy Theater are unpaid.  As the theater grows, we will continue to evaluate our sustainability model, and consider whether we can begin pay performers. This is a long-term goal for our theater.

Can I audition as an individual to be placed on a short-form improv team?

For individual auditions, we’ll only be doing long-form montages.  Montages test basic scene work, which is also essential for quality short-form. If you are interested in performing short-form, we encourage you to either form a team for auditions or to pitch a one-off short form show.

Can I audition as a Sketch Team?

Sure! Bring the team and a variety of live sketches to perform on stage to showcase your writing and performance talent.  No tech will be provided. Please keep props, costumes, and set pieces to the minimum necessary.

What if I want to pitch a one-off show with a one-time/flexible cast, like we have often been doing throughout the pandemic?

If you can’t commit to writing and performing regularly, then instead of auditioning, whenever you have a show ready, you can pitch your show to the theater.  We also encourage you to pitch shows to Show Lab. This year, we have Show Producers whose job it will be to help you get your show on its feet! More information to come on that process soon.

What are the expectations if I am cast?

• Teams are expected to rehearse regularly with a coach.
• Show schedules will vary depending on the availability of both the teams and the theater.  Teams could perform as often as weekly, or as infrequently as quarterly. Historically, most teams have performed about once a month.
• All team members get free admission to all shows on the nights you perform

What if I am not cast?

Auditions are far from the only way to perform at Sea Tea Comedy Theater.  Sea Tea also hosts shows that include jams, lotteries, mixed groups, guest performers, guests teams, and more. Because you've auditioned, now we know you'd like to perform, so we'll keep you in mind for special shows and mixed group events. Please keep performing, practicing, and stay involved in the Sea Tea Comedy Scene! Keep studying the art of comedy.  Sea Tea Improv Studios offers classes, workshops, and coaching to strengthen the qualities we look for in the performers we cast.  Many of our classes end with a performance at the theater. We'll be happy to offer you guidance on what improv skills you should focus on, so that you'll be ready for the next round of auditions.

I haven't completed the improv classes at Sea Tea Studios yet OR I am an advanced improviser who has recently moved to Connecticut. Should I still audition?

Yes!  We're all lifelong students of improv…. And if you're cast on a team, you shouldn't stop studying!  There's always another form to learn, and a new perspective to explore. Some of our most wonderful performers have been advanced improvisers from other states who have made our way to us. You do not need to complete our program to audition. That being said, it’s a great idea to jump into a class or workshop to get a sense of our style and values before auditioning. And see shows! After past auditions, all of our new team members continued to take Sea Tea Improv classes; it's perfectly normal to both begin performing and continue your studies.

I don't have a lot of performance experience. Should I still audition?

Give it a shot. We can’t promise you’ll be cast, but auditions are a great way to get more performance experience under your belt. You might feel nervous, so just focus on making your scene partners look good. Even if you're not quite ready to be cast on a team, your audition will let us know you're interested in gaining experience and someday performing, so we we might reach out to invite you to perform in a Lottery Show, Mixed Group, or other special one-off improv or sketch projects to help build up your performance experience.

How long does an improv team remain a team at the theater?

You are committing to rehearse and perform with your team for a minimum of one year. Our goal is to have successful teams that stick around for a long time - we will work together to make sure your team is functioning smoothly, attracting a good audience and doing the best shows you can do. At the discretion of the Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Directors, a team can be removed from the schedule and/or the roster outside of the review process if there are significant performance issues, for example, failure to show up for two scheduled shows, issues involving sexual misconduct, violence, substance abuse, reckless endangerment, damage to the space, etc.

I want to write sketch. What do I do?

Pitch individual sketches to Show Lab ( showlab@seateaimprov.com ) , look for sketch class & workshop educational offerings, or pitch a full sketch shows.

How do I pitch a show again?

All of that information can be found here: Pitch a Show

What if I have a question that isn't answered here?

Please e-mail your question to auditions@seateaimprov.com We’ll keep updating this FAQ as new questions come in.