Auditions
United Players holds open auditions for each play of the season.
Arms and the Man
May 29 - June 21, 2026 – By George Bernard Shaw
directed by Lauren Taylor
A sparkling examination of romance, sex, love, negotiated relationships, the clash between knowledge and ignorance, political manoeuverings, war, and hope. One of Shaw’s most glittering comedies.;PLAY SUMMARY:
Setting: Bulgaria, 1885, a small town close to the Serbian/Bulgarian Border, during the time of, and 6 months after the Serbian/Bulgarian War.
The entire play is set in the middle-class Petkoff household.
Major Paul Petkoff is an officer in the Bulgarian Army. His wife Catherine and daughter Raina keep the home fires burning while he is away at war.
Raina Petkoff is engaged to the dashing young military hero Sergius Saranoff, who comes from an equally well-respected family in their region, and she eagerly awaits his return from the war.
One night, as Raina is preparing for bed, a soldier climbs up to her balcony and hides in her room. After being initially held at gunpoint, she keeps her wits about her and eventually discovers he’s an enemy deserter on the run, in fear for his life and desperately in need of sleep. He is ill-equipped for war, and has run out of the chocolate that sustains him on the field of battle. She takes pity on him, and lets him take shelter in her home for the night. In the morning, she sends him on his way, with her father’s coat to disguise him.
Six months later, the war is over and everyone is returning home. The terms of the peace need to be negotiated. Major Petkoff comes home to a warm welcome from his family, and Sergius Saranoff returns to resume his betrothal to Raina…if only he didn’t find distraction elsewhere….
The household is joined by a quick-witted Swiss mercenary soldier named Bluntschli, who helps them with the administrative tasks of peacekeeping, but also seems strangely familiar to the women of the Petkoff household…..and besides, he has a coat to return.
The Petkoffs have two household staff: loyal but canny Nicola, and his younger protegée and fiancée Louka, a sharp and sassy social climber whose intelligence and ambition exceed her position within the household. Louka catches the attentions of Sergius, while Raina strikes up an intellectual match with the Swiss soldier Bluntschli, all the while conspiring with her mother to keep the scandalous secret of which society mother and daughter hid the ‘chocolate cream soldier’ in the daughter’s bedroom under wraps. Surely not her! Once the truth comes to light, it’s up to everyone to reveal their true nature, for better or worse.
Shaw’s early play about morality, courage, and high-minded idealism versus practical realism is part farce, part treatise on the true horrors of war, and a love story about truth and equality between love matches, regardless of social status and position. Transgressive for its time, Arms and The Man asks, what is the life of a soldier for? And for what do we ask the ultimate sacrifice of those who take up arms for their nation?
Dates & Details
Performance Dates: Thursday, May 28 2026 (preview) – Sunday, June 21 2026 (strike).
Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm; first, third and fourth Saturdays (May 30, June 13, June 20) at 8:00 pm; second and fourth Saturdays (June 6, June 20) at 2:00 pm. All Sunday performances start at 2:00 pm.
REHEARSALS will be at St. Mary’s Kerrisdale, 2490 West 37th Avenue (37th & Larch). The first rehearsal will be held on Saturday, April 11 and thereafter on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Please indicate if you have any time conflicts or may be unavailable for any of those rehearsal sessions.
Performance Venue: Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery Street, Vancouver
AUDITION DATES:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2026, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm;
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2026, 6:00 – 10:00 pm
CALLBACKS:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026, 6:00 – 10:00 pm
AUDITION VENUE: Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery Street, Vancouver
DEADLINE TO APPLY: 8:00 pm on Thursday, January 15, 2026
CASTING: We are looking for strong actors of the appropriate ages.
We welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds, identities and ethnicities.
NOTE: This is a non-union production with the option to cast one union member on an amateur contract.
Please indicate if you have ANY union affiliations.
NICOLA: Male presenting, age 40s – 60s. One of the two staff of the Petkoff household. Shrewd, intelligent, long-suffering head of the domestic workers. Has ambition to open up his own shop one day. Engaged to Louka, who is much younger. Has ‘the soul of a servant’.
NICOLA / LOUKA side
LOUKA: Female presenting, age 20s – 30s. A maid worker in the Petkoff household. Engaged to Nicola. Smart, outspoken and nobody’s fool, she wants to rise above her position in the household. Despises servitude. Large role.
NICOLA / LOUKA side
RUSSIAN OFFICER: (Major Plechanoff): Male presenting, age 20s – 40s. A Russian officer in the Bulgarian army. A small role, he appears briefly in one scene where he searches Raina Petkoff’s room for an escaped enemy soldier. A formidable military figure.
RUSSIAN OFFICER side
MAJOR PAUL PETKOFF: Male presenting, age 50s – 60s. Raina’s father, husband to Catherine. A jovial, kind, middle-class man who loves his pipe and paper, favourite jacket, and his daughter and wife. Proud of his family and rank in the army, fond of domestic life. Large role.
PETKOFF / CATHERINE side
CATHERINE PETKOFF: Female presenting, age 40s – 60s. The true head of the Petkoff household. Mother to Raina and wife of Paul. Catherine is pragmatic and officious, proud of their middle-class life, and keen to impress anyone who’ll pay attention with their library and electric bell. Aspirational. Loves her family. Large role. (NOTE: Catherine could read either this side OR the PETKOFF / CATHERINE side.)
CATHERINE / RAINA side
RAINA PETKOFF: Female presenting, age 20s. The character is 24 but looks 17. She is mistaken for a teenager in the play. Pronounced Rah-eena. Romantically idealistic about war and soldiers, deeply involved in Viennese operas, dreamy novels and the appearance of propriety, yet is brave enough to go out on a limb to protect Bluntschli. Smart and savvy, is she a good manipulator or a misguided romantic? She wants to think the best of people but discovers she is far too intelligent to accept hypocrisy. Loyal. Main role. (NOTE: Raina could read either this side OR the RAINA / BLUNTSCHLI side.)
CATHERINE / RAINA side
MAJOR SERGIUS SARANOFF: Male presenting, age 20s – early 30s. Engaged to Raina. Picture Hamlet if he were in a comedy, dressed up as a dashing, proud and bold young soldier, full of idealism and stubborn vanity. His ideals leave him perpetually disappointed with himself and the world. A romantic, and a sensualist, and a tiny bit problematic. Large role.
SERGIUS side
CAPTAIN BLUNTSCHLI: Male presenting, mid 30s. Swiss mercenary soldier, has been for 15 years, since leaving his hotel-owning family in search of adventure and making his own way in the world. Currently fighting in the Serbian Army, with no particular attachment to an outcome other than to stay alive. He is pragmatic with a good sense of humour, a sensitive realist who sees the world for what it is, not what others may want it to be. Respectful and unsentimental, he believes morality is connected to the outcome of actions, not unquestioning adherence to a specific code of behaviour. Has a conscience. His name is pronounced Bloont-shlee. Main role.
RAINA / BLUNTSCHLI side
TO AUDITION:
Please prepare the side for the character(s) of your choice. You are not expected to be off book, though a strong familiarity with the text is recommended.
To apply for an audition time slot, please let us know which character you wish to audition for, and submit a resumé and headshot to Fran Burnside at franjohnb@yahoo.com. Please also bring hard copies of your headshot and resumé to the audition.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 8:00 pm on Thursday, January 15, 2026
Please let us know if you have access needs for the audition process.
NOTE: as a community theatre, United Players strives to offer audition slots to all applicants, but if some shows/roles receive a very large number of applications, we regret that it may not be possible to offer an audition time to everyone.
HONORARIUM:
All non-Equity company members will receive a small honorarium.
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Keep informed of upcoming auditions
We welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Auditions are posted on the following:
• This webpage
• The United Players Facebook page
• The Casting Workbook
• Vancouver Actor’s Guide
• Vancouver Public Library auditions e-blast
Audition Notices
Audition notices are emailed to actors who are registered on the United Players database.
To register, click here and complete the form. NOTE: the form is not available for the moment due to website update – please check back later!
Additional Information
Call 604-224-8007 or email info@unitedplayers.com