Nebraska Shakespeare Festival
**Revised Breakdown and Preparation**
AUDITION DATE
Fri, Jan 03, 2020
10:00 am - 6:00 pm (CST)
Lunch 1pm - 2pm
APPOINTMENTS
Members may sign up through the Member Portal on 12/27/19
CONTRACT
URTAU/RTA Tier II $688 Per week minimum
SEEKING
Four Actors for key roles in the 2020 season of Shakespeare On The Green: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. See breakdown. Seeking a diverse and versatile company.
PREPARATION
Please prepare a brief audition consisting of one Shakespearean comedic monologue and 16 bars to be
sung. Please bring two copies of your headshot and resume. An Accompanist will be provided.
LOCATION
Actors' Equity Association - Chicago Member Center
557 W Randolph St
1st Fl
Chicago, IL 60661
Dial 011 For Entry at Front Door.
PERSONNEL
Alan Klem, artistic director
Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek, director of Shakespeare in love
Amy Lane, director of a Midsummer nights dream
Katie Becker Colón, director of education (with casting authority for Macbeth).
OTHER DATES
Callbacks will be by appointment on January 4 and 5
Residency dates: May 23-July 12
Performance dates: June 25-July 12
OTHER
EPA Procedures are in effect for audition.
An Equity monitor will be provided.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to attend every audition.
Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.
BREAKDOWN
Theseus Male. 30’s-40’s. Any ethnicity. The Duke of Athens. Recently won a war against the Amazons and is set to marry their queen, Hippolyta, in a politically advantageous match. [Will double with Oberon]
Hippolyta Female. 30’s-40’s. Any ethnicity. Queen of the Amazons. Regal and graceful, strong and athletic, powerful. In an arranged marriage with Theseus but determined to make the match successful. [Doubles with Titania]
Helena Female. 20’s. Any Ethnicity. Helena was previously betrothed to Demetrius and remains obsessively, even masochistically, in love with him even after Demetrius met and fell for Hermia. Helena is tall, depressed over a bad break-up, determined, enterprising, willing to risk it all for love.
Nick Bottom Any gender. 20’s-30’s Any Ethnicity. The overconfident weaver chosen to play Pyramus in the Quince’s play. Bottom is full of self-confidence and happy to give their thoughts, but frequently makes silly mistakes and misuses language. Their simultaneous nonchalance about Titania’s sudden love for them and unawareness that Puck has transformed their head into that of an ass mark the pinnacle of their foolish arrogance.
Oberon Male. 30’s-40’s. Any Ethnicity. King of Fairies. Proud, angry, and vengeful. Thinks he has power and control over Titania, and excited by her resistance. Fond of Puck, but not blind to his anarchic tendencies. Jealous of Titania’s attention to a young changeling child. [Doubles with Theseus]
Titania Female. 30’s-40’s. Any Ethnicity. Queen of Fairies. Proud, obstinate, and careful of her duties. Smart and loving. Has a history with Oberon that is based on mutual attraction, but also respect for the other’s power. [Doubles with Hippolyta]
Robin Puck Goodfellow Any gender. 20’s. Any Ethnicity. A Mischievous sprite with magical powers, who delights in playing pranks on the mortals. Puck’s enchanting, mischievous spirit pervades the atmosphere, and Puck’s antics – both those that are deliberate and those done by mistake - are responsible for complications that propel the story. [Might double with Philostrate]
Will Shakespeare Male. Late 20’s/Early 30’s. Caucasian. A passionate poet and playwright who alternates between brooding over his writer’s block and boasting all the cocky confidence and charm expected from one of England’s most renowned playwrights. is searching for his muse, which he finds in Viola. The actor portraying Will Shakespeare may appear shirtless and/or in undergarments.
Kit Marlowe Male. Late 20’s/Early 30’s. Any Ethnicity. Will’s more successful fellow playwright and friend. Marlowe never suffers from the writer’s block that currently plagues Will. Smooth and charming, Kit is perpetually goodhumored and encouraging.
Viola De Lesseps Female. 20’s. Any Ethnicity. A noblewoman with dreams of being an actor, in a time when women were forbidden from the stage. Viola disguises herself as Thomas Kent in order to perform in Shakespeare’s latest play. Engaged to Lord Wessex, a man whom she hardly knows and cares even less for, Viola escapes to the stage where she thrives in reciting the playwright’s poetry and falls in love with Will. The actor portraying Viola de Lesseps may appear in undergarments and/or shirtless - in chest binding - in scenes preceding and following implied intercourse.
Nurse Female. 30+. Any Ethnicity. A servant and friend for Viola. The Nurse helps her lady, with kindness and humor, to dress as an actor and avoid Lord Wessex.
Henslowe Male. 35+. Caucasian. The owner and manager of the Rose theatre, which will host Shakespeare’s newest comedy. A businessman with increasing debt. His money frustrations make the plans and stories he spins as varied and inventive as the many endeavors he undertakes to save a dime and turn a profit.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to audition.
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