"King Lear" Auditions for Teen Boys and Girls

Actors sought for the next ‘Shakespeare in the Sheds’ production, "King Lear". See more info below. ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE CONSIDERED. About the project: Synopsis: The play opens with Lear, the old widower king, planning to retire from the duties of the kingdom by dividing the land among his three daughters and their husbands. But first in a selfish bid for adulation he makes them declare the depths of their devoted love. The two eldest, Goneril (married to the Duke of Albany) and Regan (married to the Duke of Cornwall) lay the love and praise on thick, but the youngest, Cordelia, who is being courted by both the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France, refuses to play the game of “kiss up to Daddy” for which Lear banishes her and divides the kingdom between only Goneril and Regan. Burgundy ditches Cordelia since she’s got nothing now, but her honesty impresses France, so he marries her. Lear’s noble friend the Earl of Kent tries to get Lear to see some reason. The result? Kent gets banished, only to return to court disguised as a simpleton named “Caius”, as a way to keep an eye on the quickly unraveling Lear. At the same time, treachery in the family of the Earl of Gloucester ensues as his illegitimate son, Edmund, vies for legitimate power by slandering the legitimate son, Edgar, telling Gloucester that Edgar has a plot to kill him. Edgar flees and to escape discovery, disguises himself as a beggar named “Poor Tom”. Goneril and Regan begin to wield the power they’ve inherited and banish Lear from their homes, leaving him out in a severe storm, where he seeks shelter with only his Fool, “Poor Tom”, and “Caius”. Cordelia brings the French army to confront her sisters, who both have developed enough of an obsession with Edmund that they are willing to kill for it. And as this is a tragedy, pretty much everyone is dead before the end of the play, except Edgar, who gets the last word. Additional info: Please prepare any 10-20 line monologue from King Lear. At the audition, you may be asked to do a cold reading from the play. Please come prepared to delineate any date conflicts. The Concept: While usually Lear is a coveted star role for a seasoned actor, this production seeks to create a cohesive and collaborative Shakespearean Troupe who will play multiple roles in the play including three actors who will play Lear in his three “states”: Imperious King, Rejected Father, Wise Outcast. The casting will be gender-blind, age-blind, and “look”-blind. The most important factor is the actor’s ability to memorize, speak, and act the language “trippingly on the tongue”. Please remember, since directors are primarily seeking people who can speak and act Shakespeare, and not looking for a particular “type” for each role, you should feel welcome to prepare a monologue for any character whose interior interests you. NOTE: the set will be playground equipment, some preference in roles will be given to actors comfortable with climbing, swinging, spinning, and sliding. Callbacks (if necessary) – Monday, April 7th – 7 pm. Rehearsal Schedule: Rehearsals Begin: April 23 Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday 6:30-9:00 Saturdays 1:00-4:00 PERFORMANCE DATES: June 20, 21 at 7 pm June 22 at 2 pm June 27, 28 at 7 pm June 29 at 2 pm If you are interested, please apply.