Audition Calls

Vilayat Mahal

Auditions: Saturday, March 29th 2025 | Naatak House
Show: June 13 – June 29, 2025 | Palo Alto
written and directed by Anush Moorthy, produced by Vikas Dhurka
(in Hindi and English, with supertitles in English)
December 1971, a cold wintry morning, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Delhi: a woman walks into the first-class waiting room with her family and claims to be the legitimate descendant of Wajid Ali Shah, the last nawab of Oudh. The family has everything – Great Danes, opulent carpets, potted palms, and a retinue of servants in livery – except the recognition they seek. Inspired by a true story in the New York Times, विलायत महल (Vilayat Mahal) is a tragicomedy spanning four decades that re-imagines the life of the mysterious begum and her quest for recognition.

Vilayat Mahal will be Naatak’s 114th production

Audition Date/Time

Saturday, March 29th 2025, 8.30 AM onwards (We will email you an exact slot)
Naatak House, 3311 Keller St, Santa Clara CA 95054.
(Please park on the street and walk into the building through the main entrance.)

Roles Available

ALL ROLES REQUIRE FLUENCY IN HINDI; ENGLISH FLUENCY PREFERRED FOR SOME ROLES
Male, Age: 25-60, 10 roles
Female, Age: 25-45, Female, 8 roles
Female, Age: 50+, 1-2 roles
Children, Age: 6-10, one male, two female

Audition Details

1. RSVP by filling out this audition rsvp form. An exact slot will be emailed to you a couple of days before the audition.
2. Come prepared at your given audition time slot with a 90 sec monologue in Hindi.
3. The best auditions demonstrate clarity in diction, voice projection, and comfort with stage movement.
4. If you are shortlisted, you will be given sides from the play to familiarize yourself with and enact in a callback round later in morning. We expect to wrap up the audition by lunch time.

Rehearsal Schedule

March 30th 2025 – June 12th 2025
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7.30-10.30 PM, Saturdays & Sundays, 8.30 AM – 12.30 PM
(We will try and work around major conflicts, but do expect flexibility from the cast)

Show dates

June 13 – June 29, 2025, Cubberly Theatre, Palo Alto, CA

Questions?

Send an email to anush@naatak.org.