# What Is an EPA? Equity Principal Auditions Explained

> What an Equity Principal Audition is, how appointments, alternate lists, and the monitor's clock work, how non-Equity actors get seen now that unofficial lists and EMC priority are gone, and what to prepare.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/what-is-an-equity-principal-audition
- Published: 2026-10-24
- Last updated: 2026-10-24

You see it on a casting notice for a regional theater's season, or a Broadway show looking for replacements: "EPA Procedures are in effect for this audition." There's a date, a time window, an address, and a line about bringing your Equity card. If you're new to theater auditions, it can read like a members-only club. If you're not in the union, you may wonder whether it's worth going at all.

EPAs are a regular way for theater actors to get in front of casting, union or not. The rules are specific, and they changed recently, so a lot of the advice still online is out of date.

The short version: an EPA is an audition for principal roles that producers under most Actors' Equity agreements are required to hold. Members book a time in advance or sign up on the day, in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles an Equity monitor keeps the clock, and you get a short time in the room for material the notice sets, often a monologue, a song cut, or both. Non-Equity actors can go, but they're seen only after members and alternates, and only if there's time. Prepare short, polished material and plan to spend the day.

## What an EPA is, and who holds them

EPA stands for **Equity Principal Audition**. It's a call for principal roles (the named parts, as opposed to the ensemble) held by a producer working under an Actors' Equity Association agreement. Equity's guide for producers lists Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) and Equity Chorus Calls (ECCs) among its notice types, and asks every notice to name its agreement, giving examples such as the [Production Contract, SPT Tier 4, and LOA](https://actorsequity.org/resources/producers/casting-call-how-to).

Which shows have to hold one, and how often, depends on the agreement, so you'll see EPAs from Broadway productions and from regional theaters on LORT contracts. Equity's [appointment guidance](https://actorsequity.org/docs/librariesprovider2/resource-documents/casting-call/equity-auditions-appointment-procedures.pdf?sfvrsn=6b6c8b0e_1) also notes that many agreements don't allow auditioning agent-submitted actors or holding callbacks until the required Equity auditions are done. In other words, the EPA comes early in casting, not as an afterthought.

Since January 2, 2023, Equity says, [all required Equity auditions take place in person](https://actorsequity.org/resources/producers/casting-call-how-to). If a notice says EPA, plan to be in a building.

## How appointments work for members

In New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, EPAs run under a set of procedures Equity publishes, with a monitor from the union on site. Under the [version on Equity's site](https://www.actorsequity.org/docs/librariesprovider2/resource-documents/casting-call/aea_principal_auditions.pdf?sfvrsn=30137229_3) (last revised in 2017, so check the member portal for anything newer), the day is divided into 20-minute slots of six appointments each:

- Four of the six appointments in each slot can be booked online through the member portal, from noon one week before the audition until noon on the business day before.
- The other two are given out in person on the day, first come, first served, once the monitor arrives an hour before the call.
- You can cancel an online appointment without penalty up to an hour before your slot.
- Miss three online appointments within six months and you lose online booking for six months.

That last rule surprises people. If you book and can't go, cancel. It takes a minute and keeps your access.

### The monitor's clock

Check in with the monitor ten minutes before your appointment. At the start of the call, the monitor announces "the official clock," and that clock is the only one that counts. The procedures are blunt: "If a member is late, they will lose their appointment." If a time is still open you can rebook, or you can sign Alternate List A.

Once you've checked in on time, an appointment guarantees you'll be seen within your 20-minute slot. If the room is running fast, you may go in earlier than your exact time, so don't wander off.

## Alternate lists and the waiting room

Time left over in each slot goes to alternates. Equity's procedures set up two lists. **List A** is for members with no appointment, and it's called first. List B is for members who already have an appointment later in the day but would like to go earlier. The procedures are honest about the odds: "There is no guarantee that alternates" from either list will be seen.

If you're called and you're not there, you lose that spot, though you can sign again at the end of the list. At the meal break, the monitor posts a sheet with the break times, the last alternate called, and whether appointments are still open.

That makes the waiting room a skill of its own. Actor Maggie Bera, writing about [her first EPAs](https://www.actoraesthetic.com/blog/equity-principal-audition), suggests sitting within earshot of the monitor, bringing a warm layer, and bringing something to do while you wait. Bera also says the wait can be harder on the nerves than the audition.

## Can non-Equity actors go to an EPA?

Yes, with patience. Equity's 2018 guidance for theaters outside its office cities sets the basic rule: non-Equity actors [may not schedule appointments](https://actorsequity.org/docs/librariesprovider2/resource-documents/casting-call/equity-auditions-appointment-procedures.pdf?sfvrsn=6b6c8b0e_1) for required Equity auditions. They go on a separate non-Equity waiting list and are seen only when no Equity actors are waiting. Members can't be held back for them, even if the non-Equity actors have waited longer.

BroadwayWorld's 2026 guide to [how non-Equity performers get seen](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/How-Do-Non-Equity-Performers-Get-Seen-At-Equity-Auditions-20190829) puts it the same way: non-Equity actors are called after members and alternates, and some days end before the non-Equity list is reached at all.

### Two changes that old guides miss

First, the unofficial list is gone. For years, non-Equity actors started their own sign-up sheet outside the building, sometimes overnight. In April 2025, BroadwayWorld reported that Equity had [ended unofficial lists](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/No-More-Midnight-Sign-Ups-Equity-Ends-Unofficial-Lists-at-Auditions-20250404). The official list stays on the monitor's desk and opens only when the building's doors open. Each person writes down only their own name; if someone adds several, the whole list can be thrown out.

Second, EMC priority has ended. When Equity made open access to membership permanent in 2023, it stopped taking new Equity Membership Candidates and gave existing EMCs three more years of audition access. Its announcement says that [as of May 8, 2026](https://actorsequity.org/news/PR/2023/02/08/OpenAccessPermanently), former EMCs are seen on the same basis as other non-Equity actors. If a guide tells you to sign the EMC list or start an unofficial list at dawn, it was written before these changes.

If getting seen at EPAs matters to your goals, it may be worth looking at membership itself. Our guides to [how to join Actors' Equity](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-join-actors-equity) and [Equity vs. non-Equity theater](https://www.offbook.com/blog/equity-vs-non-equity-theater) walk through the trade-offs.

## EPA, ECC, and open calls: what's different

An **Equity Chorus Call** (ECC) is the ensemble version, and it runs differently. Under Equity's [chorus call procedures](https://www.actorsequity.org/docs/librariesprovider2/resource-documents/casting-call/ecc-procedures.pdf?sfvrsn=c63f83b2_1), members get numbered audition cards, dancers are called in groups to learn combinations, and casting may "type," choosing whom to see by look before anyone sings or dances. Once typing is announced, no non-Equity actors may be seen.

Chorus calls can also change the material partway through: a call may start by asking for 32 bars and later drop to 16. At an EPA you're usually seen one at a time from a slot schedule, with your own material, for a principal role.

Open calls are a broader category: auditions where everyone is seen on the same basis, with no member priority. Our guide to [open call auditions](https://www.offbook.com/blog/open-call-audition) covers how those days run alongside EPAs and chorus calls.

## What to prepare and bring

There's no single Equity rule for material. Each notice sets its own, so read the breakdown and do exactly what it says. Equity's New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles procedures leave the length to the casting director, with a minimum of one minute per actor. Three 2026 notices show what that looks like:

- A LORT theater's season EPA asked for [one monologue of your choice, two minutes at most](https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/Baltimore-Center-Stage-2026-27-Season-Baltimore-Center-Stage-2026-51696).
- A Broadway play asked for [contemporary monologues no longer than two minutes](https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/THREE-DAYS-OF-RAIN-Fourth-Day-Broadway-LLC-2026-52071), with headshot and resume stapled together.
- A Broadway musical asked for [a short cut of a pop/rock song](https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/HAMILTON--Broadway--Hamilton-Uptown-LLC-2026-52395) that shows your style and range, with sheet music.

Within that, time your piece to the notice's limit with room to spare. A tight piece that's fully yours beats a longer one you're still thinking about. If you need to trim, see [how to cut a monologue](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-cut-a-monologue), and for musicals, [how to cut 16 bars](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-cut-16-bars-for-an-audition). You can browse classical and public-domain pieces in our [monologue library](https://www.offbook.com/monologues).

Know it cold. The waiting room is long, loud, and full of people running their own pieces, and nerves eat the lines you only half know. Test yourself from memory instead of rereading. With Offbook, you can hide your lines (or the whole script) and run the piece from memory, then bring the text back to check yourself. For a full method, see [how to memorize a monologue](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-memorize-a-monologue).

Video: [Hide your lines](https://www.offbook.com/learn/hide-your-lines) (1:07)

Bring a headshot and resume stapled together at the corners, with the resume trimmed to the size of the photo, and a few spares. Bring your Equity card if you're a member; notices routinely remind you. Bring sheet music in a binder for a singing call, water, a snack, and something to read.

## A plan for EPA day

- A week before, read the notice and note the material, the contract, and the time window. If you're a member and the call is in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, book online when the window opens at noon.
- In the days before, run your piece from memory every day, out loud, and time it.
- The night before, staple your headshots and resumes, pack your bag, and check the address and floor.
- On the day, arrive early enough to check in with the monitor (or the theater's check-in table) ten minutes before your slot. If you're non-Equity, arrive by the time the doors open and sign the official list.
- In the waiting room, stay within earshot of the monitor and keep your voice and body warm without performing for the room.
- In the room, say your name and your piece, do it, say thank you, and leave. Then let it go.

Not every EPA leads to a callback, and that's normal. Each one is practice in auditioning under real conditions, and a chance for a casting office to see your work.

## Questions actors ask

### What is an EPA audition?

An Equity Principal Audition is a call for principal roles that producers under most Actors' Equity agreements are required to hold. Members book appointments or sign up on the day, an Equity monitor runs the clock in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and each actor gets a short time in the room, usually for a monologue or a song cut set by the notice.

### Can non-Equity actors go to an EPA?

Yes. Non-Equity actors can't book appointments, but they can sign the official non-Equity list on the day and are seen only when no members or alternates are waiting. Unofficial lists have ended, and since May 8, 2026 former EMCs wait with other non-Equity actors, so plan to spend the day and accept that you may not be seen.

### How do I sign up for an Equity Principal Audition?

Members book through Equity's member portal; under the published New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles procedures, online booking opens at noon one week before and closes at noon on the business day before, with some times kept for in-person sign-up on the day. Non-members sign the official list at the monitor's desk once the building opens.

### How long do I get in the room at an EPA?

Under Equity's New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles procedures, it's up to the casting director, with a minimum of one minute per actor; elsewhere, Equity recommends five-minute appointments. Each notice sets the material, and the 2026 notices we read asked for a monologue of up to two minutes or a short song cut, so check the breakdown and time your piece to it with room to spare.

### Is an EPA the same as an open call?

Not quite. An EPA is a required union audition for principal roles with set procedures and member priority. At an EPA anyone can come, but members have priority. An open call sees everyone on the same basis, and an Equity Chorus Call is the ensemble version, with numbered cards, group dance calls, and typing.