Auditions for MUKTIDHAM
Auditions for Muktidham will be held on Sep 13 and 14 at Pear Theatre.
About the play:
MUKTIDHAM
A play in English
By Abhishek Majumdar
Directed by Basab Pradhan
Muktidham is a gripping political drama set in 8th century India, when Buddhism is on the rise and challenging the dominance of Sanatan Dharma. In a hilltop matha, a dying spiritual leader must choose his successor — a decision that unfolds against a backdrop of philosophical conflict, caste tensions, and a shocking act of violence.
As rival ideologies clash and the boundaries between religion and politics blur, Muktidham examines how power manipulates faith — and how faith is used to legitimize power. With eerie resonance to the modern world, this layered and provocative play questions caste, gender, nationalism, and the price of dissent.
Key Dates:
Auditions: Sep 13 & 14 at Pear Theatre
Run-throughs and Tech: Nov 14 to Dec 4. (we will be off on Thanksgiving Day only)
Performances: Dec 5-13, 2025, Sunnyvale Theatre
Muktidham is a complex, deep play. If we apply ourselves it will be a rewarding journey for all the artists involved. Rehearsals will begin on Sep 20. To be considered for the cast of this play you must have very good availability from Sep 20 onwards and you must be available from Nov 14 to Dec 13, when run-throughs, tech rehearsals and performances are scheduled.
Auditions:
In-person auditions will be held on Sep 13 and 14 at Pear Theatre, Mountain View
Monologue Auditions, Sep 13 morning
Each auditionee will be given an individual slot for their audition. For your audition, you will memorize and perform a monologue from the play which will be sent to you in advance. When filling out your Audition Form, you must tell us which role/s you are auditioning for so we can send you the right monologue piece.
Callbacks, Sep 14, 9:30 am
If you have been in the cast of a recent BADCo production, you may skip the monologue auditions and come straight to the Callbacks. At Callbacks you will be asked to read from the script of the play with other actors.
Whether you are coming to the Monologue Auditions or coming straight to Callbacks, you must fill out the Audition Form. If you are not in town over Sep 13 and 14, you may submit a self-tape of your monologue. But not being here in person is a disadvantage.
If you would like to be a part of the crew for this play, as part of the backstage or design teams, please write to us at info@bayareadrama.company. We are particularly interested in volunteers who are eager to learn and help with stage makeup and costumes.
Roles Available:
The age range given against each role should be treated as guidance only. If you can credibly play the role, we will consider you.
All roles are for actors who can play South Asian characters. There are quite a few Sanskrit words that have been left as is, in the English script. We are looking for a clean enunciation of these words.
Agnivesh, (Can play 40s male) an acharya (teacher) in the Birpur mutt (Hindu school) and rival of Yuyutsu for the position of the head of the mutt, muttadheesh.
Nath or Mathadheesh, (Can play 50s to 60s male) also known as Nath Nand, the present head of the mutt, and husband of Ahilya.
Ahilya, (Can play 30s female) who looks after the disciples and teachers of the mutt. Wife of the Nath and lover of Agnivesh.
Yuyutsu, (Can play 40s male) an acharya in the Birpur mutt and rival of Agnivesh for the position of the head of the mutt, muttadheesh.
Hanuman, (Can play 50s to 60s male) a Nat employed by the mutt.
Shrihari, (Can play 30s male) a disciple at the mutt.
Ghasidas, (Can play 40s male) a former actor owing to his caste — he was born a Nat — who works as a porter at present
Guru Ma, (role is precast) a contemporary of the Nath, who at present looks after the disciples and teachers of the mutt.
Sugriv, (Can play 50s to 60s male) a Nat employed by the mutt, father of Angad.
Bhikhuni, (Can play 50s to 60s female) formerly of the Nat caste. Now, after converting to Buddhism, a monk and the religious head of Birpur's Buddhist camp.
Angad, (Can play 30s male) a Nat employed by the mutt, son of Sugriv
Nikunth, (Can play 30s male) a disciple of Bhikhuni at the Buddhist monastery.
All rehearsals will be held in-person at our rehearsal studio in Santa Clara. We typically rehearse two days a week on weekday evenings and both weekend days. All performances will be held at Sunnyvale Community Theatre, Sunnyvale. We are a non-union company. All roles are unpaid, volunteer positions.
For more information please reach out to us at info@bayareadrama.company