About The Show!
You may know your Chinese Zodiac animal, but do you know how the 12 animals were chosen? Discover the magical origin story in The Great Race, a whimsical world premiere puppet play adapted from Chinese mythology.
When three young neighbors have a friendship-ending argument, a wise Chinese grandmother uses the power of storytelling to transport them into the legendary tale of the Great Race. As they experience the thrilling competition that determined the order of the zodiac, they learn valuable lessons about teamwork, understanding, and the bonds that unite us.
Directed by Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka and featuring stunning puppetry—including a breathtaking Chinese dragon—designed by What If Puppets (Finding Nemo, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), this captivating new play was originally developed in The Rose’s Sharing Our Stories program to uplift underrepresented voices in Omaha.
Audition Information
The Rose is holding auditions for roles in its 2026 production of The Great Race directed by Alan Muraoka. Auditions will only be accepted via video submission. Submit by 11:59pm on Tuesday, Oct. 28th. We will be holding in-person callbacks on Tuesday Nov. 4th, 2025. We will be casting adult roles (18+) for this production. Please see the character breakdown & details below.
The Rose is joyfully and boldly committed to ensuring diversity & equity in the casting of each of its productions. Actors of all types regardless of race, gender, age, or disabilities are welcome to audition for both lead and ensemble roles.
Time Commitment
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- Rehearsals: Actors cast in The Great Race must be available for weeknight and weekend rehearsals from Monday March 16th – Thursday April 16th. All rehearsals will take place at our downtown location.
- Performances: Actors must also be available for weekday daytime and weekend performances from Friday April 17th – Sunday May 3rd. For specific dates and times, please refer to the full calendar here.
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Compensation
Adult Actor Compensation is $3,000. Most favored nation terms in effect. Please email auditions@rosetheater.org with any questions.
When, Where & How to Audition
- Submit a video audition by 11:59pm on Tuesday, Oct. 28th.
- Videos will be reviewed and callback requests will be sent out by Friday Oct. 31st.
- All participants will be notified of their audition results and whether or not they are invited to callbacks. We appreciate your time and effort, everyone will receive a response.
What to Prepare
Acting
- Please prepare two sides for your audition:
- One side from the Human Character selections, to be performed as yourself (a human character).
- Once as a human, almost as yourself. We want to see how you can be natural with this text. We still want to see you pursue what the character is pursuing.
- One side from the Animal Character selections, to be performed using a puppet.
- You may use any object of your choice- googly eyes, a sock, a stuffed animal, etc. This puppet can help you generate a character- maybe a different voice, a different rhythm to your speaking, etc. In this exercise, please perform the text through your puppet.
- One side from the Human Character selections, to be performed as yourself (a human character).
Music
- Prepare 16-32 bars of an appropriate modern musical theater selection of the auditionee’s choosing. Auditionees may sing to their own backing track, a karaoke track, or Acapella.
Character Breakdown
Please note that the pronouns listed next to the character are those used in the script. We are looking to cast actors of all identities for all roles. **The ages listed correspond to the character’s age. We are seeking actors who are 18 years or older for this production.
- KIT (Any) – also plays RAT, MONKEY, DRAGON: 11 years old, Non-Asian, quick witted, full of curiosity.
- KIT’s MOM (She/Her) – also plays TIGER, DRAGON, SNAKE: any ethnicity, strong and graceful.
- KIT’s DAD (He/Him) – also plays OX, DRAGON, HORSE: any ethnicity, compassionate and athletic.
- BOBBY [or BOBBIE] (Any) – also plays RABBIT, DRAGON, ROOSTER, DOG: 10 years old, Asian, introverted, polite.
- MAMA YIM [or PAPA YIM] (Any) – also plays JADE EMPEROR: Bobby’s grandparent, elder, Asian, mysterious, kind.
- DEVIN (Any) – also plays CAT, DRAGON, GOAT: 12 years old boy [or girl], Non-Asian, Impulsive.
- DEVIN’s DAD (He/Him) – also plays DRAGON, PIG: Non-Asian, rigid.