ROMEO and JULIET AUDITION NOTICE

AUDITION DATE: FEBRUARY 14, 2012. Theatre open at 7:30 for a prompt 8:00 start.
As you will see in the character list below, there is a great range of characters and ages in this play - there are about 6 in the 17 - 25 age range, 6 in the over 40’s and then 6 in between.
In the list below you will also see a number in brackets like this (160) for all characters except R & J. This indicates the number of lines for that character in the full-version of the script. We will be making some edits so that the show runs under 2 hours, so this will change a little - but the number is a good indication of the size of each role in relation to the others. (note: This really is a line count of the text. Since Shakespeare writes in a form of verse a ‘line’ in this counting will contain between 1 - 10 words.) We will be doubling a couple of the smaller roles so that one person will perform more than once as follows:

Performer 1                   Gregory and Balthasar
Performer 2                   Abram and Friar John and Guard 2
Performer 3                   Gregory and Apothecary and Guard 1
Performer 4                   Sampson and Peter and Guard 3

Also note that any or all of the above ‘Performer’ combinations could be played by a female!

THE AUDITION

For the audition, you will need to read aloud some Shakespeare. You DO NOT have to memorise it for the audition, but you can if you want to. If you want to team up with one or two others for the reading, that’s fine too. You should plan for each person to speak for about 2 minutes. The idea is not for you to perform, so no blocking in needed, but is for me to hear you speak Shakespeare! As a hint, what I’m listening for is that you:

Understand what you are saying
Understand what you are meaning
Speak like a normal person having a conversation, not someone reading poetry

Following your reading we’ll have a first cut and then do some other things where I’ll give you a piece of non-Shakespeare that you’ve probably never seen before and give you directions on how to read/move just so we can cover that part without the added layer of Shakespeare.

REHEARSALS

Rehearsals will be twice a week, probably Monday and Wednesday, but this is negotiable with the cast. When we can’t use the theatre I have a space in Doonside so we’l never have to use the kennel. (Woo hoo!!) We will never be rehearsing on the weekend. (except maybe one last run through before opening)

Throughout the rehearsal process there will be lots of help with the text and with learning the lines - I don’t expect anyone to come to this one as a hugely experienced Shakespearian actor. All you need is the willingness to try, to spend a bit of regular time every week learning lines and the expectation of a lot of fun. Staging this play is going to be a great privilege for me - and enormously enjoyable. Yes, you’ll be learning and speaking Shakespeare’s original text and that takes some work - but the reward of performing one of the greatest love stories of all time is incredible.

So please come along, bring anyone else who you think is right for this, pass this notice around your school, uni or workplace - and let’s do Shakespeare!!

List of CHARACTERS

ROMEO.......................... Son of MONTAGUE. Bit of an ‘emo-kid’, ideally in the 17 - 25 range.
BENVOLIO.................... (160) Montague cousin of ROMEO. One of Romeo’s ‘boys’, probably the more mature of the group - in the 19 - 28 age range.
BALTHASAR................. (33) Montague servant to ROMEO. Faithful, solid and reliable - in the 20 - 30 age range.
ABRAM........................... (5) Montague servant. Balthasar’s mate - a little younger, and more easily provoked to a scuffle. In the 17 - 25 age range.
LORD MONTAGUE...... (23) Father of ROMEO, in the 40 - 55 range, depending on Romeo’s age
LADY MONTAGUE....... (13) Mother of ROMEO, in the 35 - 50 range, depending on Romeo’s age
JULIET........................... Daughter of CAPULET. Age 13 in the play, but probably in the 17-25 range for us.
TYBALT......................... (35) Capulet cousin of JULIET. Head of the Capulet ‘boys’. A little dangerous, easily provoked and overly proud. In the 20 - 30 age range.
SAMPSON.................... (29) Capulet servant, same age range as Romeo. A young ‘buck’, a bit arrogant and always up for a fight. In the 17 - 25 age range.
GREGORY.................... (18) Capulet servant, same age range as Romeo. Sampson’s mate, and much of the same. In the 17 - 25 age range.
LORD CAPULET......... (267) Father of JULIET, in the 40 - 55 range, depending on Juliet’s age
LADY CAPULET.......... (120) Mother of JULIET, in the 30 - 40 range, depending on Juliet’s age
NURSE......................... (243) Capulet servant to JULIET. Has raised Juliet from birth, lovable, faithful and maternal. In the 40 - 60 age range
PETER.......................... (7) Capulet servant to NURSE. In the 17 - 25 age range
MERCUTIO................... (252) Friend of ROMEO, the guy who knows all the best parties, related to the PRINCE. In the 20 - 28 age range
COUNTY PARIS........... (90) Count, to wed JULIET, good looking big smile and great bank balance - the ideal guy to marry your daughter, related to PRINCE. In the 20 - 28 age range
PRINCE ESCALUS..... (86) Prince of Verona, essentially the chief of Police. In the 35 - 45 age range
FRIAR LAWRENCE..... (334) Franciscan who marries ROMEO & JULIET. Street wise and a friend to the down-trodden - think ex-con turned chaplain. In the 40 - 60 age range
FRIAR JOHN................. (13) Carries message for FRIAR LAWRENCE. Junior to Friar Lawrence, no specific age range
APOTHECARY.............. (7) Sells poison to ROMEO. Basically a drug dealer, no specific age range.
CITIZENS, SERVANTS, MUSICIANS, GUARDS, etc.

To find out about other upcoming auditions email pavilionadmin@optusnet.com.au