Got this from Dave this morning — contact him with any questions!
AG
AUDITIONS!
Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Directed by David Martin
AUDITIONS:
Saturday, June 30 from 12:30-3:00
Sunday, July 1 from 1:00-3:00
Olathe Community Theatre
500 E Loula
Olathe KS 66061
EXPECTATION and PREPARATION: Bring a headshot/resume & conflicts between August 26 and Nov 4, 2012.
Auditioners will be asked to present a monologue from a play by William Shakespeare, or other similarly classical material. These may be prepared in advance (which is recommended). These monologues should be kept around 2 minutes in length.
Cold readings will be available at the audition.
If you are interested in auditioning but are unavailable on either open audition date, please contact the director at dmartin922@gmail.com to coordinate an opportunity to audition at another time. An inconveniently scheduled audition time should never be the reason you do not audition for a show in which you are interested.
REHEARSALS:
It is likely that rehearsals will begin in mid-August a couple of nights per week and going to the more regular Sunday-Thursday beginning August 26 or 27. Exact rehearsal schedule will be based on actor conflicts. It will not be necessary for all actors to attend all rehearsals, but auditioners should try to keep conflicts to a minimum.
Note from the Director
I encourage any and all actors to consider auditioning for this show. Experience performing Shakespeare is not a requirement. In fact, in some cases, I will be looking specifically for people with no Shakespeare experience. This production will be a challenge for all involved, so I look forward to working with a cast of actors who are eager to stretch themselves and trusting that they will grow as performers by their participation in this show.
Shakespeare Workshop:
For those new to working with classical language or those who simply want a refresher, there will be a workshop on Saturday, June 23 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.
Saturday, June 23 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Workshop location: 500 E Loula, Olathe KS 66061.
Cost: $5
For more information, see olathetheatre.org.
CALLBACKS:
Invited Callbacks will be held on Sunday, July 8 from 12:30-4:00pm
Those called back will be called for specific roles and materials will be sent out in advance to provide the actors an opportunity to work with the text.
PRODUCTION DATES:
October 19, 20, 21*, 26, 27, 28*, Nov 2, 3, 4* 2012
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
*Sundays at 2:00pm
All performances take place at:
Olathe Community Theatre Assn
500 E Loula
Olathe, KS 66061
SYNOPSIS:
This is a comedy about two pairs of would be lovers who couldn’t be more opposite in their approach to the subject. Benedick and Beatrice talk openly about their distaste for love and marriage and each other. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are more traditional lovers who can only think of spending every moment of their lives together. The play surrounds the happenings of these lovers and how they are deceived into believing what is precisely not true about their companion and all the craziness that goes along with trying to discover the truth. This production will be set in 1918 on the east coast of the United States. This time and setting coincides with the return from war of the men and the rise in the women’s movement in America, both themes that fit the text very well. (See available roles at the bottom of this announcement.)
CHARACTER SYNOPSIS (age descriptions indicate how old you look, not how old you are):
Benedick (male, late 20s to mid 40s) – Half of the main pair of lovers in the play, he has a sharp tongue and particularly rails against love. He is also a soldier under Don Pedro’s command.
Beatrice (female, late 20s to mid 40s) – The other half of the main pair of lovers, her tongue is equally sharp as Benedick’s, if not more so. She also proves to be extremely virtuous when she learns her cousin has been wronged. Daughter of Antonio.
Claudio (male, late teens to late 20s) – Young and passionate, he loves Hero and reacts with extreme passion when he is tricked into believing she has betrayed their love. He is also a soldier under Don Pedro’s command.
Hero (female, late teens to late 20s) – Young and innocent like Claudio, she is preparing to be married to Claudio throughout the play until he rejects her after being tricked about her non-existent betrayal. Daughter of Leonato.
Don Pedro (male, 30s to early 50s) – The military leader of most of the male characters in the play. He is also a wealthy man and seems genuinely interested in the happiness of Benedick and Claudio. Brother of Don John.
Don John (male, 30s to 40s) – The villain of the play. He is Don Pedro’s bastard brother and always feels he has been treated as the lesser brother because of that. He conspires to deceive Claudio into thinking Hero has betrayed him.
Dogberry (male, any age) – The town constable who is responsible for discovering the plot against Hero and Claudio and bringing the perpetrators to justice. The actor who plays this role must possess GREAT comic timing and be the biggest character on the stage.
Verges (likely female, any age) – Basically the female version of Dogberry but not in a competing way. They work together to bring down the criminals and appear as bumbling fools but are actually quite skillful in their duties.
Leonato (male, 40s to 60s) – Hero’s father, he is also the host of the play. He is happy that his daughter is getting married but also struggles with this as well as the pressure of putting on such a ceremony and hosting all of these guests. This boils up when Claudio rejects Hero.
Antonio (male, 40s to 60s) – Beatrice’s father, Hero’s uncle, Leonato’s brother. He is a close friend of Leonato and helps him with the wedding plans and hosting duties. He is also equally offended when Claudio rejects Hero.
Balthasar (male or female, 20s to 30s) – Part of the same military company as the other men, he provides music throughout the play. This character will be asked to sing and hopefully play guitar in the show. NOTE – If this is a female character, the military aspect of this character will be changed.
Borachio (male, 20s to 40s) – One of Don John’s henchmen. He is with Margaret, and the two of them are instrumental in creating the rift between Claudio and Hero.
Conrade (male or female, 20s to 40s) – The other of Don John’s henchmen (or henchperson). He/she is the one who cracks under the pressure of Dogberry’s interrogation.
Margaret (female, 20s to 40s) – One of Hero’s attendants. She is Borachio’s lover and is part of the plot to deceive Hero and Claudio. It is not clear in the script if she is a willing participant in the deception or not.
Ursula (female, 20s to 40s) – One of Hero’s attendants.
Friar Francis/Sexton (male, 40s and up) – Combined roles. Friar Francis believes Hero is innocent and proposes the plan to pretend she is dead to find out the truth. The Sexton oversees the trial of Borachio.
Seacoal/Lord (male, 30s and up) – Seacoal is one of the watchmen. A brief role, but very funny. The Lord in Act 5 will be combined with Seacoal.
Messenger/Watch 2/Boy (female, 20s) – Three roles to play for this actress including one of the watchmen, who, like Seacoal, is brief but definitely memorable in its comedy.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – David Martin
Stage Manager – DK Evenson
Set Designer – Paige Ahlenius
Lighting Designer – Phil Leonard
Costume Designer – Kerry Schafer
Sound Designer – Michael Byars
Properties – Meghan Newman
For more information, please contact the director, David Martin at dmartin922@gmail.com
Olathe Community Theatre Assn
500 E Loula
PO Box 144
Olathe, KS 66051
913-782-2990
