ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and MEASURE FOR MEASURE Equity Principal Audition - New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public Theatre Auditions

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and MEASURE FOR MEASURE

– Equity Principal Auditions

New York Shakespeare Festival / The Public Theater LORT $765/week minimum.

Author: Shakespeare

Dir, ALL’S WELL: Daniel Sullivan

Dir, MEASURE: David Esbjornson

“Free Shakespeare in the Park”. Plays run in repertory. 1st reh: 3/21/11. Repertory runs 6/6-7/30 in the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

Equity Principal Auditions:

Friday, February 25, 2011 Actors' Equity Association Audition Center

10 AM – 5:30 PM 165 West 46th Street, 2nd Floor

Lunch from 1:30 – 2. New York City

Equity Monitor begins sign-up at 8:30 AM.

and

Monday, February 28, 2011 Ripley-Grier Studios

10 AM – 5:30 PM 520 Eighth Avenue, 17th Floor (elevator to 16)

Lunch from 1:30 – 2. New York City

Equity Monitor begins sign-up at 9 AM (regular time).

Please prepare one SHORT Shakespeare monologue (preferably no more than two minutes long).

Please bring a picture & resume, stapled back-to-back.

Seeking:

CDs’ notes: “ALL ACTORS MUST HAVE STRONG COMMAND OF CLASSICAL TEXT. This summer’s productions … will be performed by a single company in rotating repertory. The first listed role [in each pairing below] is from ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, the possible corresponding role is from MEASURE FOR MEASURE.”

Helena / Juliet:

Helena: 20s-30s. Orphaned daughter of the Countess’s physician, adopted by the Countess after her father’s death. Intelligent, with a great imagination and an enormous depth of feeling. Completely in love with Bertram, who does not return her feelings. Begins the play as a bit of a wallflower, but her strength grows as the play progresses. She is determined, and refuses to be intimidated by any obstacle. Role may double withJuliet: Claudio’s betrothed; became pregnant with his child out of wedlock. She and Claudio are genuinely in love, and plan to marry. Sweet, guileless girl, shunned for her mistake.

Bertram, Count of Rossillion / Lucio:

Bertram: 20s-30s. Extremely handsome and privileged, raised in the glamorous lifestyle of nobility at court. Strong-willed, impulsive and strongly attracted to the allure of war. Well-bred and raised to be obedient, but his brashness and feelings of entitlement often get the best of him and his behavior. Role may double with Lucio: Friend of Claudio’s. A gentleman and a “fantastic”; spends his time carousing, chasing women and gossiping. He is incredibly charismatic, with a mind like quicksilver and a mouth to match, yet his inability to censor himself constantly gets him in trouble.

Parolles / Angelo:

Parolles: 40s. Friend and companion of Bertram’s. Incredible braggart and impostor; prone to embellishment and exaggeration in the highest degree. Soldier whose tales of battle are far more impressive than his actual accomplishments. Role for an actor of extremely strong comedic and language skills. Role may double with Angelo: The duke’s deputy; renowned and respected as the model of honor and restraint. However, beneath this “outward sainted”, stoic persona, a fierce battle is raging between his inner sexual desires and his ethics. Powerful, sensual and complex. Role for an actor of enormous skill and range.

King of France / Escalus:

King: 50s+. Begins the play weak and near death, but is miraculously revived and transformed into a monarch of vitality and power. Trustworthy, just and intelligent. Strong presence. Although he is skeptical of Helena’s claims at first, once she earns his trust he is loyal to his debt to her, and fiercely condemns Bertram’s behavior when he treats her poorly. Role may double with Escalus: Statesman of Vienna and advisor to the Duke. Trusted, honest and knowledgeable civil servant. The Duke’s right-hand man; understands government exceedingly well. Kind and merciful.

Countess of Rossillion / Mistress Overdone:

Countess: 40-50s. Widowed mother of Bertram; acts as adoptive mother to Helena. Exceptional class and breeding; possesses a regal and commanding presence, coupled with great generosity. Recognizes Helena’s merits and her honesty, and is appalled by her son’s actions towards Helena. Role may double with Mistress Overdone: Madam of a brothel. Street-smart and tough, she’s been married nine times. Bawdy, brash and outspoken. Basically, the name says it all.

The Brothers Dumaine / Duke Vincentio and Claudio:

Brothers: 20s-30s. French lords, brothers and soldiers who meet Bertram and Parolles in the Florentine service. After trying but not succeeding to convince Bertram that Parolles is untrustworthy, they plot and successfully expose him as the impostor he is. Strong, young, and intelligent men. One Dumaine may double with Duke Vincentio: Duke of Vienna. Gentle, tolerant; his laissez-faire style of leadership has allowed chaos to reign, particularly in the areas of law and order. Leaves his dukedom in the hands of his deputy Angelo, and returns disguised as a simple friar. Released from the outward trappings of his class and station, he embarks on a journey that teaches him as much about himself as it does about the people he rules over. The other Dumaine may double with Claudio: Isabella’s brother. Like most young men, he is reckless and a little selfish, but mostly just full of life. Runs with a fast crowd, and possesses the youthful misconception that he can bend the rules and escape the consequences. Receives an extremely rude awakening when he is sentenced to death for impregnating his fiancée.

Widow Capilet / Mariana:

Widow: 30-40. Innkeeper in Florence. Befriends and helps Helena. Charitable, generous and sympathetic to Helena’s plight; becomes a confidante of Helena’s while she is abroad, and assists her in her scheme to win back Bertram. Role may double with Mariana: Angelo’s former betrothed, whom he abandoned when her dowry disappeared. Intelligent, steadfast, forgiving. Possesses a quiet strength. Although she was terribly wronged by Angelo, she is mature and understanding enough to recognize the complexities and paradoxes that exist in everyone.

Diana / Isabella:

Diana: 20s-30s. Daughter of the Widow Capilet. Vivacious, beautiful and possessing a strong sensuality. Although smitten with Bertram, she performs a great romantic sacrifice by helping Helena. Through her participation in Helena’s ruse, her true courage, strength and intelligence are revealed. Role may double with Isabella: 20s-early 30s. Novice, poised to become a cloistered nun. Plucked from her sheltered world, her morals and beliefs are challenged as she is exposed to the outside world in all its confusion, corruption and ugliness. Extremely articulate and smart, she possesses an open heart and a radiant soul. Role for an actress with enormous intelligence, emotional range and strong command of language.

Lafew / Friar Peter:

Lafew: 50s+. Lord in the court of Rossillion. Although older in years, he possesses a youthful spirit. Loyal, kindly, extremely wise. Just and discerning judge of character. Holds the values of honor and honesty in very, very high esteem. Role may double with Friar Peter: Friar who helps the Duke disguise himself. Loyal and trusting, he is privy to the hidden twists and turns of the Duke’s complicated ruse.

Lavatch / Pompey:

Lavatch: 40s. Servant to the countess of Rossillion. Lives life by his own pace. Witty and clever, but not necessarily educated. Irreverent, and a bit of a cynic. Role for an actor of enormous imagination and dry comic ability. Role may double with Pompey: Tapster in Mistress Overdone’s brothel. Very appealing, despite being a low-life extraordinaire. Possesses a unique brand of bawdy verbal wit that’s all his own. Though he may find himself down at heel, he can always rely on his street-smarts to help him. Always in trouble with the law. Role for a natural clown.

Equity Male “Ensemble”:

Characters’ age range: 30s-40s. “Ensemble” actors play the following (and possibly double with previous listed principal roles above):

Rinaldo: Steward to Countess Rossillion. Loyal, and takes his duties to his mistress very

seriously. First to alert the Countess to Helena’s feelings for Bertram.

Provost: Governor of the prison where Claudio is held. Educated man who commands respect. Wise, reasonable; understands the ways of the world. Recognizes that Claudio’s punishment far exceeds the severity of his crime, and works hard to ensure that Claudio will be liberated.

Elbow: Overwhelmed constable charged with sorting out a dispute between Pompey and

Froth. Beleaguered but proud. His clumsy speech is littered with humorous malapropisms.

Froth: “Foolish gentleman”; his naïveté and witlessness put him on the wrong side of the

law.

Abhorson: Executioner. Solid. Absolute. Man of few words. Takes his profession very

seriously, and refers to execution simply as “a mystery”.

Barnardine: Dissolute prisoner. Always drunk or asleep, and appears to care very little—if

at all—for his own life or anyone else’s. Belligerent, disrespectful and completely

ambivalent about all things, including his own death sentence.

Statement of casting personnel: “We are committed to casting a diverse company. We are seeking actors of all cultures, ages, disabled and non-disabled.”