CASTING CALL

STAR College Video — University of Wisconsin–Madison

A brief educational video to support college students after sexual assault

ABOUT THE PROJECT

STAR College is a brief educational video designed to support college students who have experienced sexual assault. The video features four student survivors sharing their experiences with coping, alongside a clinician narrator who provides psychoeducation throughout. We are looking for performances that feel natural and unpolished, like someone talking to a friend.

This project is led by researchers at UW–Madison and is funded through a research grant. All roles are compensated. Filming will take place on and near the UW–Madison campus in June 2026.

Content note: This project involves portraying characters who have experienced sexual assault. The content is educational and recovery-focused. There are no depictions of assault in the video. However, if this subject matter is triggering for you, please take care of yourself first.

OPEN ROLES

Actors – Survivors 1–4 (4 Roles)

We are seeking a diverse cast that reflects the range of students who experience sexual assault. We strongly encourage people of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, body types, and abilities to audition. Please review the attached dialogue sheet for your character’s specific lines before submitting an audition tape.

● Survivor 1

○ Identity: Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23)

○ Character: Thoughtful and a little guarded at first but opens up as she talks. She withdrew from friends after her assault because the person who assaulted her was part of her friend group. She struggled with isolation and depression but found small, concrete ways to help herself move forward, such as getting dressed every day, planning one enjoyable activity, reaching out to people she trusted.

● Survivor 2

○ Identity: Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23)

○ Character: Outgoing and expressive, but carrying some self-blame. She was drinking when she was raped and has struggled with shame and embarrassment. She avoided friends and her world got smaller. Talking to even one supportive person was a turning point for her.

● Survivor 3

○ Identity: Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23)

○ Character: Quiet and introspective. They experienced severe anxiety after being violated — nightmares, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, fear of the dark. They

used gradual exposure (slowly turning off lights in their apartment over several weeks) to reclaim their sense of safety.

● Survivor 4

○ Identity: Man or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23)

○ Character: Athletic, social, used to coping by partying. Before his assault he’d smoke weed and drink casually with friends on weekends. After the assault, he started drinking and smoking alone and more frequently to numb what happened, until it started interfering with his life (e.g., missing a basketball game). He learned to recognize his triggers and replace substance use with healthier coping strategies like urge surfing and breathing exercises.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: $250/day ($500 total per actor)

STUDENT DIRECTOR (1 Role)

We are seeking a student director to lead the creative and logistical execution of filming. Responsibilities include collaborating with the production team on shot composition, directing actors on set, and ensuring scenes are captured sensitively given subject matter.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: $350/day ($700 total)

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT (1 Role)

We are seeking a production assistant to support the director and crew on set. Responsibilities include set organization, scheduling support, equipment coordination, and general on-set assistance throughout filming.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: $250/day ($500 total)

CAMERA OPERATOR (1 Role)

We are seeking a camera operator to handle all on-set camera work. Responsibilities include setting up shots in collaboration with the director, operating the camera during filming, and ensuring footage is consistent throughout scenes.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: TBD

SOUND RECORDIST / AUDIO TECHNICIAN (1 Role)

We are seeking a sound recordist to capture high-quality dialogue audio on set. Responsibilities include microphone setup and placement, monitoring audio levels during takes, and troubleshooting any sound issues in real time.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: TBD

LIGHTING TECHNICIAN / GAFFER (1 ROLE)

We are seeking a lighting technician to set up and manage lighting on set. Responsibilities include designing and executing a lighting plan in collaboration with the director, adjusting lighting between setups, and ensuring a consistent look across scenes filmed in different locations.

Commitment: 2 days of filming

Compensation: TBD

EXTRAS

We will also need a small number of extras for b-roll scenes (walking on campus, sitting in a park, being a friend/roommate on a couch, etc.). We are seeking diversity in terms of body shapes and sizes, race, ethnicity, gender expression, age, and ability.

Commitment: 1-2 days of filming

Compensation: $50/day ($50-100 total)

STAR COLLEGE — AUDITION EXCERPTS

Please read through all four characters and submit a self-tape for the role(s) you are most interested in. You may perform from memory or read from the script — whatever feels more comfortable.

SURVIVOR 1

Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23). Thoughtful and a little guarded at first, but opens up as she talks.

SURVIVOR 1

When I was assaulted, I stopped hanging out with my friends because the person who

assaulted me was part of that friend group. Then I found myself feeling really isolated

and disconnected, and I started to feel depressed and withdrawn.

(A beat. Then, more openly:)

SURVIVOR 1

I started feeling better when I pushed myself to get out of bed and get dressed every

day, even when I didn’t feel like it. I also tried to do one small thing every day that I

used to enjoy like calling a loved one or getting a sweet treat. To make sure this

happened, I planned my day the night before and challenged myself to follow through.

SURVIVOR 2

Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23). Outgoing and expressive, but carrying some self-blame.

SURVIVOR 2

I blamed myself a lot because I was drinking when I was raped.

(Pause.)

After it happened, I avoided a lot of things that reminded me of being in that situation.

Like, I avoided spending time with my friends because of how ashamed and embarrassed

I felt. Over time, I started feeling really depressed and my world got smaller and smaller.

I cut myself off from other people but I couldn’t seem to stop isolating, even though I

knew it was making it worse.

SURVIVOR 2

One of the things that helped me was talking to friends. You don’t have to tell them

everything. But telling even one supportive person can help you start to feel better.

SURVIVOR 3

Woman or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23). Quiet and introspective.

SURVIVOR 3

After I was violated, I had a lot of nightmares. And I would get these really panicky

feelings whenever I thought about what happened. My heart raced, my palms got sweaty,

and my breathing was really ragged. It was scary.

Sleeping was also really hard after I was violated. Every time I lay down in bed, I

panicked. My heart raced and I felt shaky, nauseous, jumpy and tense. I couldn’t sleep

for weeks, maybe months.

SURVIVOR 3

I couldn’t sleep with the lights off for a long time. Since it was dark when I was raped,

I was afraid in the dark even in my home. I slept horribly for months because I was

scared and had to keep all the lights on all night.

(Quietly resolute:)

I used exposure to help myself deal with this.

First, I turned out the lights in the kitchen and living room but kept one on in the

bedroom and bathroom. I also left the TV on. After about a week, I turned off the TV,

and a week later, I turned off the light in the bathroom. A couple days after that, I

turned off the light in my bedroom. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, I got comfortable in

the dark again. I had to take these smaller steps to let my body and mind relearn that

the dark isn’t dangerous.

SURVIVOR 4

Man or non-binary person, college-aged (18–23). Athletic and social; used to coping by being active and social.

SURVIVOR 4

Before my assault, I would smoke weed and drink with friends on the weekends. After

the assault, I found myself drinking and smoking alone and more frequently to cope with

what happened. This helped me fall asleep but started interfering with my life. I was

drinking so much I missed the basketball game I was playing in.

SURVIVOR 4

After missing my game, I knew I needed to cut back on my drinking. I started to pay

attention to my body and mind when I had a craving and to really think about what was

happening just before I wanted to use. Noticing this pattern helped me think about other

things I could do to calm down and feel better, like calling a friend, taking a walk

outside, or focusing on my breathing, to get the same results.

Submit your audition tape to padideh.hassanpour@wisc.edu by Wednesday, June 3, 2026.