Sign Up for an Audition Slot

The Department of Theatre and Dance will hold auditions for a five-week workshop of material from a new Hip Hop musical Smooth Criminal. The project is being developed by internationally acclaimed Hip Hop performer/creator and alum Dahlak Brathwaite (B.A., English and theatre and dance, ’08). Auditions are Feb. 2 at 6-8 p.m. in Arena Theatre in Wright Hall.

The project will culminate with free public performances March 7, 8 and 9 at the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre and begin at 7 p.m.

Auditions are open to all UC Davis students. However, if you have been cast in or working on the running crew for The Laramie Project, please do not audition for Smooth Criminal. 

Featuring book and lyrics by Aaron Jafferis and music by Dahlak Brathwaite and Daniel Bernard Roumain, Smooth Criminal is a music-theatre work about Aaron, a nerdy white guy desperate to liberate his people – as soon as he can figure out who they are. Five actors and a musician try to undo Aaron’s family’s twisted relationship with race and money, but his family has other plans.

For the auditions: performers are asked to prepare a 1.5-2 minutes of song which should feature rap and sung parts. Performers will sing acapella.  

Also please prepare and read from one of the sides linked on this page. 

Cast Breakdown

• YECENIA is an Afro-Boricua woman.
• RAY is a Black man.
• AARON can be a white man, white woman (ERIN), or non-binary
• ANNE is a white woman who may also play ARCHIBALD
• GEORGE is a white man who may also play GARZICK

The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.