Thank you for even considering auditioning for this project! Below are the details for the auditioning process. This is for a three episode a pilot run of the show and then to seek crowdfunding for a larger production team and scale. Some of the stories may be more like anthologies rather than focused on just having "Main characters" so that storytelling can shift around and the world can be built out in a bigger way!
Also, please audition for multiple characters! I'd prefer one good take for the audition sides but please feel free to upload and submit multiple auditions as different files
Please provide up to 2 takes! One with your typical / original accent and then an (optional) additional one with an accent of your choice .
PROJECT TITLE: SECTOR 4 (Pilot)
Format: Immersive Audio Drama (Fiction Podcast)
Genre: Industrial Sci-Fi / Survival Horror
Vibe: Arc Raiders meets The Forever Winter meets Chernobyl.
Episodes: 3
THE WORLD: THE IRON GRAVEThe war between the robotic factions ended five hundred years ago—or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves. The truth is, the machines never got the order to stop.
Now, the surface of the earth is a "Kill-Box"—a toxic wasteland suffocated by a nanotech smog known as "The Gray." Colossal war machines, the size of skyscrapers, still roam the horizon, fighting a stalemate war that ground civilization into dust centuries ago. Humanity is no longer a player in this game; we are collateral damage. We are the ants living in the cracks of the concrete, hiding in deep underground Silos.
To survive, we send "Rats" (Scavengers) to the surface. They don't fight the machines—they survive them. They pick the carcasses of fallen giants for scrap, batteries, and copper wires.
(Did part of this concept come together after playing video games and board games with friends? Yes it absolutely did but the differences and things that changed dramatically from the inspiration material [hopefully] should not only make it stand out but also allow for connecting concepts or ideas! It's a change to build out a world inspired by so many of the stories we've loved just for the sake of making them.)
TONE & STYLE"The Future is Heavy." This is not a sleek, laser-blasting space opera (yet). This is Industrial Sci-Fi.
The Tech is Analog: Guns jam. Radios have static. Batteries die.
The Threat is Scale: Some enemies are the size of a radio. Small, agile, but still dangerous. Others are 50 stories tall. You cannot kill them; you can only hide from them.
The Sound: We are looking for grounded, intimate, and textured performances. The fear in this show doesn't come from screaming; it comes from hyperventilating inside a helmet while a monster walks inches above your head.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWe are casting for Three Lead Roles and various Supporting Roles (currently three). We need actors who can convey exhaustion, tension, and a sense of solidarity against the odds. This is a character-driven drama set against a backdrop of overwhelming mechanical horror.
PAYMENTFor main roles (+ additional lines for minor roles and retakes), we're paying between $50-$75 for the project. All payments are made through PayPal.
For supporting roles we're paying between $20-50
Lead roles should be around 1.5-2.5 hours!
Supporting roles will probably be closer to 30 minutes to an hour!
DEADLINESThe deadline for auditions is February 20th, 2026. The deadline may shift but currently that's the current timeline. The first three scripts are done and ready to record so the hope is to get recording and moving shortly after the audition deadline. Casting should be confirmed the week after the deadline and voice actors should expect to hear shortly before or by February 27th. After casting is finalized, scripts will be sent to the voice actors within a week after of casting. The expectation would be to receive lines back from the chosen voice actors within two weeks of receiving the script. We'll make sure to give you a week or so notice before the scripts should be sent out and will ask for an email confirmation that you've received them. (Life happens, things get lost. I'd rather reach out and confirm you've received the scripts rather than an emergency happens and you can't get to something and lose a week.) [Live recording sessions will be available on request]
Side note: Isn't it wild how many space operas don't involve singing? The definition of Opera is: a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists.
...No this won't involve singing.
At this point.
That's pretty much everything though! This should be fun! That is the primary plan for this. Yes it is a project and a paid project that is intended for professional purposes. It can and should be something that is fun both to make, do, and listen to!
ROLES NOTES
-Age Range is referencing the age range of the character. Please feel encouraged to audition for the different roles!
-At this point the characters don't have specific accents related to them or ethnicities, which hopefully will allow you to express yourself in a character more! Please feel encouraged to bring your native accent to the table in your audition(s). We live in a diverse world and even in a world of fiction, we should and want to still represent the diversity of culture and experience that makes life that much more incredible!
SUBMISSION NOTES FOR ACTORS
Slating: Please slate the Character Name, underscore, and then your Name and at the start of the file (in that order please).
Example: Kael_JosephCrane_Audition
Format: MP3
Processing: Please provide raw audio (no reverb, no SFX). We want to hear the texture of your voice.
Takes: Please feel free to do up to 2 takes of a character in an audition but using the same accent and inflection you would for Sides A and B of a character before using a different version. I.e.
If auditioning for Jinx with a Scottish accent and a German accent, Do A and B in the Scottish accent, then do A and B again in the same recording with a German accent.
Improv: For the role of JINX and KAEL, feel free to include "effort sounds" (grunts, heavy breathing, sharp inhales) as these characters are physically exerted in the scenes.
Pronunciation Guide:
KAEL: KAY - ull
Rhymes with "Mail" or "Kale".
(One syllable, though the 'L' lengthens it slightly).
VEKO: VEE - ko
Rhymes with "Pico" or "Eco" (as in ecosystem).
(Hard 'V' sound at the start. Long 'E').
JINX: JINKS (Rhymes with "Links".)
