Male actor, playing age mid-late 30s, of Black or South Asian heritage.

Job Summary

48 Thoughts Per Minute by The Paper Birds. Co-Written with Jessica Fostekew. A co-production with New Wolsey Theatre. Co-commissioned by Corn Exchange Newbury & Warwick Arts Centre. Funded by Arts Council England, Essex County Council and The Fowler Smith Jones Trust.

Job Description

The Paper Birds are looking for professional actors for our upcoming national tour of 48 Thoughts Per Minute.

The performers will play the below named characters, as well as multi-rolling across several additional roles within the production. This is a highly visual and often physical show where the performers move in and out of acting and non-acting, converse with the audience and are active stage hands as the show portrays a range of internal experiences.
For the role of "Dan": Male actor, playing age mid-late 30s, of Black or South Asian heritage.
Dan is the life partner to the main character Tash. Dan is slightly younger than Tash and the couple are currently undergoing IVF together. Likeable and laid-back Dan is deeply in love with Tash. He lives in the moment and is often too busy coping with his own hectic mind to worry about the past or future.
Dan appears in Act 1 in Tash's mind as she remembers various comical and loving moments with him. In Act 2, the audience are welcomed into Dan's head, where they see his busy mind and hidden thoughts brought to life.

The show explores what family and friendships look like in Britain today: in all their different, complicated and wonderful forms. We are keen to build a cast that reflects the rich diversity of modern British families and communities, bringing a range of lived experiences and backgrounds to the world of the play.

Please see the attached job pack for further details

Job Requirements

We are particularly interested in seeing performers who can bring a strong sense of play, collaboration and comic timing to the work. Performers will be comfortable with, or have experience in:
Movement/Physical Theatre
Ensemble work
Multi-rolling, including changing confidently between different accents
Comedy
Live and interactive moments with an audience/improvisation.

Rehearsals:
W/c 7 December - Corn Exchange Newbury
W/c 14 December - Corn Exchange Newbury
W/c 4 January - East 15, Colchester
W/c 11 January - The Albany
W/c 18 January - DanceEast/New Wolsey Theatre
W/c 25 January - Technical rehearsals and opening performances at New Wolsey Theatre
Performances:
Touring nationally 1 February - 30 March 2027.

Fees and Contract
The Paper Birds work in line with ITC/Equity rates. The fee for the performing role is £631 per week.

Job Responsibilities

Auditions
Step 1:
You may be invited to an informal 10-minute conversation via Zoom with Jemma McDonnell (Co-Writer and Co-Director). As The Paper Birds have a collaborative, devised way of creating work we find an initial call is simply a chance for everyone to get a feel for the project, hear a little more about how we work, and see whether it feels like a good creative fit on both sides.

Step 2:
If shortlisted, candidates will be invited to an all day audition on either 21st or 22nd October 2026 in London. Round one will take place in the mornings, and call backs for round two will be in the afternoons or early evening, and as such, we will contact people promptly after the morning session.

As part of your application, please let us know clearly which of the audition date(s) you can do. We will endeavour to schedule later morning sessions for those based furthest from London.

Useful Links

Job Overview

Job Title: Male actor, playing age mid-late 30s, of Black or South Asian heritage.
Salary: £30k-£40k
Hours: Full time
Artform: Theatre
Role: Performer
Contract: Contract
Closing date: Wed, 14 Oct 2026
Location: UK-wide

How to Apply

Applications close at 5pm on 14th October

Please see attached job pack with details how to apply

Equality, Diversity and Access
The Paper Birds are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable working environment. We welcome applications from people who are d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and from communities currently underrepresented in the theatre industry.
Please let us know if you have any access requirements or require adjustments to participate fully in the recruitment process.

Contact name: Adele
Contact email: [email protected]

About The Paper Birds

The Paper Birds is a devising theatre company, with a social and political agenda. We are recognised as UK leaders in devised verbatim theatre.

We’re artists, investigators, entrepreneurs, educators. We pride ourselves on taking complex, multi-faceted subjects and making them accessible.

We have an artistic programme and a creative learning programme and nurture both equally.

Find out more