OPEN CALL — PERFORMER/ACTOR SOUGHT

HUMAN UNREADABLE ACT III PREMIERE

NEW YORK CITY (INSTITUTION TO BE DISCLOSED SUMMER 2026)

Casting for a leading role in a new evening-length work by artist duo Operator (Dejha Ti & Ania Catherine), the culmination of their seminal work Human Unreadable, staged at a museum in Manhattan in Fall 2026. 

Auditions, Rehearsals, Performances

Auditions will be held on June 16, 2026 in NYC 

Callbacks to be conducted virtually in June/July

Rehearsals October 16-November 18, 2026

Performances November 19-November 22, 2026

Full availability during the rehearsal and performance period of Oct 16-Nov 22 is required

The Role

The Host/Ghost/Guest holds the conceptual weight of the show, bringing the room together through sustained physical presence and narrative embodiment. Host/Ghost/Guest operates across thematic, didactic, and abstract layers interacting with audience and cast, fluidly breaking the fourth wall, and moving through the piece as a host moves through a dinner party: present, attending to what needs doing, never fully receding. This role is at once narrator, guide, participant, and imperceptible trace.

The performance will include both scripted and improvised elements, including responding to an AI system trained on the artists’ creative process via in-ear cues or working with a physical device (phone) as a primary instrument. This role requires significant text delivery, both scripted and improvised and requires a confident performer who is comfortable with sustained presence throughout a 70-80 minute performance with moments of solo as well as silence. 

Requirements

  • Strong ability to work with scripted and improvised material in tandem

  • Strong ability to improvise and mediate uncertainty with good improvisational instincts 

  • Capable of shifting vocal register across and inhabiting different tones to match the narrative arc

  • Must be comfortable working with latency, occasional flat material, and the discipline of treating a phone as a primary instrument rather than a prop. 

  • Convincing physical presence with ability to execute some prop work 

  • Experience working with technology and experimental performance

  • Flexible mindset and ability to adapt to creative adjustments

  • Must be based in NYC and available for the full rehearsal and performance period

We are open to all ages, genders, and styles and welcome submissions from a wide range of actors. We are casting a performer, not a demographic.

Please submit your reel or up to 2 relevant video samples of your acting work and a video intro slate to dial@operator.la with the subject line “ACT III: Host Application” by June 11, 2026. 

Slate

  • First & Last Name

  • Height

  • Location: City or state (to verify if you are a "local hire" who won't require travel), and where you are from

  • Role/Project: The name of the character you are reading for and the project name (Act III)

  • Describe a perfect Saturday