Festival Stage of Winston-Salem (FSWS), the city's new professional equity theater company, will hold general auditions for its upcoming 2010-2011 season Monday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 521 N. Liberty St. (Artists on Liberty Building), Winston-Salem.

FSWS's first season will feature the comedy "The Foreigner," by Larry Shue; the musical comedy "Lunch At The Piccadilly," by Clyde Edgerton and Mike Craver; and the drama "The Glass Menagerie," by Tennessee Williams. All performances will be held at the Hanesbrands Theatre, which is now completing construction at the city's new Downtown Center for the Arts.

Festival Stage will operate as a LORT D professional equity theater. Generally, equity actor contracts will be six weeks in length, and 16 to 18 performances of each play will be given.

Festival Stage will operate with the well-established North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (NCSF) as affiliates, creating a fresh, innovative model for professional theater that should result in the most effective use of each organization's resources.

Equity actors must prepare a one- to two-minute monologue of their choice and provide a current 8-by-10-inch head shot and resume. Until FSWS's website is launched, additional details about the plays, available roles, contract periods, housing and travel are available on the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival website. Go to: www.ncshakes.org, click on About Us, click on News, and look for the FSWS General Audition announcement.

To make an appointment call NCSF at (336) 841-2273, extension 226, between 9 a.m. and noon only, Monday through Friday, or e-mail joan.andrews@ncshakes.org. The audition facility will not be available during the lunch period, noon to 1 p.m. on June 28.

FSWS is dedicated to nontraditional casting and invites equity actors of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds to audition.