Call for Teams: March Madness 2026

KWLT’s March Madness is an annual theatrical competition, where multiple production teams mount alternative interpretations of the same short script… with only a week to prepare. And they’re performed back-to-back, with the audience voting for their favourite and an adjudicator awarding prizes.

It’s fun! And a bit unhinged. This is the thirteenth year that we’re doing it (or something like it), so we’ve got a pretty good sense for how weird it’s going to get.

This year’s March Madness takes place on March 7, 2026 and the organizing committee is now accepting applications for teams. If you’d like to be part of a production team, please let us know: email us at march.madness@kwlt.org.

What makes a team? A minimum viable team has two people: a director and a stage manager. (We have had lone directors in the past, who usually find a stage manager from among the audition pool of actors, but it works better to have two from the start.) Teams can be as large as you like, so if you want to have specialists in your group, feel free! Past teams have included music directors / accompanists, choreographers, props masters, costumers…

Can I apply alone, as a director, SM, or some other role? Sure! We will try to connect you with other lone applicants, or with teams in need of your skill set.

What do you need for an application? Tell us the names and roles of your team members, and a bit about your theatre background — we don’t need full bios, we just want a sense of where you’re coming from. If you’ve got hopes or expectations about this year’s March Madness event, feel free to share those with us too.

So what am I getting myself into here? The timeline for the event looks like this:

• Friday, February 27: Our kickoff meeting at the theatre, starting at 7pm. This is when you’ll receive the script; we’ll go through the calendar in detail and answer any questions you have. At least one member from each team should be present, all are welcome.
• Saturday, February 28: Auditions, Noon-4pm at the theatre. Directors and stage managers should be present, other team members are welcome. After the auditions is the casting process, which might take up to an hour.
• Sunday, March 1–Thursday, March 5: Rehearsals, which teams schedule for themselves. (This usually includes at least one day off.)
• Friday, March 6: Tech night: each team gets an hour on the stage to practice, integrate lighting and sound, and generally get used to the space. Teams then get to present their renditions for each other.
• Saturday, March 7: The main event! There’s typically a cue-to-cue in the late morning, an open dress rehearsal in the afternoon, and March Madness proper in the evening, with adjudication to follow.

When do I have to let you know? Applications for production teams are due on February 20.

I have other questions that you haven’t anticipated! Great! Ask them of us over email: march.madness@kwlt.org.