An aging actor fights to remember his lines, and himself, in one final performance.
“Captivating from start to finish."
– The Clothesline
“A masterclass in stillness and spark, the kind of solo show that sneaks up on your heart.”
– Festival Preview
An aging actor fights to remember his lines, and himself, in one final performance.
“Captivating from start to finish."
– The Clothesline
“A masterclass in stillness and spark, the kind of solo show that sneaks up on your heart.”
– Festival Preview
When the lines fade, the truth gets louder.
A once-celebrated Shakespearean actor steps onto an empty stage for one final audition. His chance to prove he can still command the role of King Lear and the life he’s built around the stage. Alone beneath the ghost light, Sebastian Drake begins to rehearse. But as the lines blur between performance and memory, his private demons and long-buried loves return to challenge him in ways no critic ever could.
A moving, darkly funny, and deeply human solo performance about pride, aging, and the fragile beauty of memory, The Last Audition invites the audience to witness a man fighting to hold on to the role of a lifetime, before the curtain falls.
A Story for Anyone Starting Again
You don’t need to know Shakespeare; you just need to know what it feels like to start over. This is a story for anyone who’s lost something, a role, a memory, a sense of who they were, and is brave enough to begin again.
It’s About Courage, Not Age
It’s not a play about growing old; it’s about refusing to give up. It’s about standing in the light, trembling maybe, but still stepping forward. Because sometimes the hardest role to play is yourself.
Actor’s Catnip
For theatre lovers and actors alike: live transformation, Shakespeare riffs, backstage confessionals, and no gatekeeping. It’s a love letter to performance itself, the messy, miraculous craft of being human in public.
Festival-Ready Pace
A tight 60-minute run. Big laughs. Real stakes. It’s moving, funny, and perfectly timed for a night of back-to-back Fringe discoveries.
Why Audiences Love It
"Excellent. The performance is so good, Paul Shearman transports you from Shakespeare to real life brilliantly and heart breakingly."
– Kate H., Adelaide, Australia
"Commanding stage presence from beginning to end. A treat to experience"
Tour Dates
Upcoming Shows
Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide Fringe Festival
February 19th to March 22nd, 2026
Star Theatre – Theatre Two
The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall
Royalty Theatre
New York City, USA
NYC Fringe (Frigid Fringe)
April 1st to April 19th, 2026
Chain Theatre – Mainstage
Montreal, Canada
Montreal Fringe
April 10th to 21st, 2026
Venue TBD
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
August 5th to August 29th
@theSpace on the Mile, Space 3
(located within the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Royal Mile)
Book This Show
Tour timeline
- 🇨🇳 Beijing – Preview Performances
- 🇦🇺 Adelaide Fringe – Star Theatres / Garage International / Royalty Theatre
- 🇺🇸 NYC Fringe – Frigid Festival (Chain Theatre Mainstage)
- 🇨🇦 Montreal Fringe – Upcoming (TBD)
- 🇬🇧 Edinburgh Fringe – theSpace on the Mile
Now booking 2027 UK, EU, Australia & North America.
Developed through live performance across Australia, North America, and the UK.
Technical overview
- Runtime: 55 minutes
- Touring party: 1 performer
- Tech: minimal
- Get-in: 15 minutes
- Set: chair + ghost lamp
- Lighting: general wash
Audience profile
- 50+
- Shakespeare lovers
- Literary audiences
- Care community crossover
- Theatre festivals
Kindle Edition
The Last Audition
Reinventing a Creative Life After 60
The Last Audition: Reinventing a Creative Life After 60 is a candid, clear-eyed account of what it means to begin again when time, health, and comfort all argue against risk.
After a cancer diagnosis abruptly ends a long period of professional stasis, actor and writer Paul Shearman is forced to confront a question many creatives quietly avoid: What if waiting is no longer an option? Rather than easing back into safety, he chooses something far more destabilizing — writing and producing a solo show and committing to a world tour that begins in Beijing and leads toward some of the world’s most demanding stages.
This book follows that decision in real time.
“This isn’t a play about dementia. It’s a play about dignity.”
— Paul Shearman
“This isn’t a play about dementia. It’s a play about dignity.”
— Paul Shearman
Onstage Moments
Cast & Crew
Writer/ Performer
Paul Shearman
Director
Voice Director
About Paul Shearman
Born into a military family in Virginia, raised in California, and educated in Oregon, I discovered theatre in high school and never let it go. Though I earned a degree in Political Science and International Affairs, the stage kept calling. Work in Washington, D.C. and NYC reignited a passion for performance across theatre, film, and television.
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