Men on Boats, A Play by Jaclyn Backhaus

Directed by Jakob White

Audition Information

June 5, 2026  6:00pm – 9:00pm and  Sunday, June 7,2026   1:00pm – 4:00pm

Cotuit Center for the Arts will hold auditions for Men on Boats, a fast-paced, wildly entertaining adventure about ambition, bravery, and the absurdity of exploration.

The year is 1869. Led by John Wesley Powell, a one-armed explorer with an excitable soul, a motley crew of adventurers sets out to chart the Colorado River and the unexplored American frontier. Along the way, they face treacherous rapids, impossible odds, clashing personalities, hunger, danger, and more than a little chaos.

With characters including a maniacally talkative youth, an old Civil War veteran who wants nothing to do with people, an overexcited Brit, and a hunter dressed in beaver skins, Men on Boats is a bold, comedic retelling of history that asks what it means to press forward when the journey gets dangerous.

NOTE: The characters in Men On Boats were historically cisgender white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not. We are looking for diverse actors who are female-identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender-conforming.