Shakespeare & Company Seeking Young Actors For August Wilson's FENCES

Shakespeare & Company is seeking two young actors to alternate in the role of Raynell: a bright, hopeful, seven-year-old Black girl who appears in the final scene of August Wilson's Fences.

August Wilson's Fences will play a six-show week at Shakespeare & Company's Tina Packer Playhouse in Lenox, Mass., Tuesdays through Sundays with some evening and some afternoon performances. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, June 27, with previews starting Saturday, July 22; the show opens on Thursday, July 27, and closes Sunday, August 27.

A Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, Tony Award winner for Best Play, and part of the playwright's acclaimed American Century Cycle - August Wilson's Fences is part of a series of 10 plays that charts the African American experience throughout the 20th century. It follows the story of Troy Maxson - a working-class Black man struggling to provide for his family in the 1950s.

The young actors will share the role, performing in shows on a scheduled rotation. The actors do not need to be at all rehearsals, and schedules can be flexible; adult, backstage supervision and a weekly salary will be provided.

For more information contact Producing Associate Ariel Bock, abock@shakespeare.org or (413) 637-1199 ext. 107.

Shakespeare & Company is committed to evolving its approach to diversity and inclusion to engender an active process and positive change toward race equity in its employment and artistry. Our goal is to engage ourselves in endeavors that enrich and promote a more just society, and we seek to engage those who will embrace our vigorous commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility as well as anti-racism initiatives.

Shakespeare & Company is also committed to a COVID-safe environment: in most cases employees will have completed their COVID-19 vaccination regimen, will get tested before they start work, and retest weekly. The entire Company will be adhering to local, state, and union safety protocols where and when appropriate.

About Shakespeare & Company

Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.