Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
CONTRACT
LOA $845 weekly minimum (LOA ref LORT)
SEEKING
Equity actors for roles in Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's 2022 season to include ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare and MR. BURNS by Anne Washburn (see breakdown).
Actively seeking diversity of every kind in every role. We encourage BIPOC actors and actors of all abilities and genders to submit.
INSTRUCTIONS
Please prepare two brief appropriate speeches, one from Shakespeare, and one contemporary. Please note if you sing and/or play musical instruments, including but not limited to: guitar, cello, percussion, flute, violin, and accordion. Please submit headshot/resume, and YouTube or Vimeo link for role you’d like to be considered with the subject line HVSF 2021 Mainstage Season, [Your Name]
Deadline: Tue, Feb 1, 2022
SUBMIT TO
PERSONNEL
Producer: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
Artistic Director: Davis McCallum
Directors: Gaye Taylor Upchurch, Davis McCallum
Playwrights: William Shakespeare, Anne Washburn
Casting: Calleri Jensen Davis
OTHER DATES
First Rehearsal: Mr. Burns, May 2nd 2022 (In person); Romeo and Juliet May 10th, 2022
Begin Tech: Romeo and Juliet June 28th,, 2022; Mr. Burns, June 30th, 2022
Previews begin: Romeo and Juliet July 7th, 2022; Mr. Burns, July 8th, 2022
Openings: Romeo and Juliet, July 15th, 2022; Mr. Burns; July 17th, 2022
Closings: Romeo and Juliet, September 18th, 2022; Mr. Burns September 17th, 2022
OTHER
hvshakespeare.org
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.
BREAKDOWN
Available Roles:
TRACK 1: JENNY/MARGE in MR. BURNS - F 30s-40s. Will double as NURSE, FRIAR, LADY CAPULET, or ESCALUS in ROMEO AND JULIET (See below)
TRACK 2: EDNA in MR. BURNS - M/F/Non-Binary 20s-30s May double as BENVOLIO, NURSE, FRIAR LAWRENCE, LADY CAPULET, or ESCALUS in ROMEO AND JULIET (See below)
TRACK 3: SAM/MR BURNS in MR. BURNS - M 30s-40s Will double with MONTAGUE, ESCALUS, FRIAR LAWRENCE, or CAPULET (See below)
TRACK 4: FRIAR LAWRENCE in ROMEO AND JULIET - M/F , 20s-40s May be doubled with JENNY/MARGE in MR. BURNS (See below)
TRACK 5: MARIA/LISA in MR. BURNS - F 20s-30s Will double with TYBALT, NURSE, LADY CAPULET, ESCALUS or FRIAR LAWRENCE in ROMEO AND JULIET (See below)
TRACK 6: COLEEN in MR. BURNS 30s-40s Will double with TYBALT, NURSE, LADY CAPULET, ESCALUS or FRIAR LAWRENCE in ROMEO AND JULIET (See below)
The following roles are cast:
TRACK 7: (CAST) JULIET in ROMEO AND JULIET (character portrayed is female)
TRACK 8: (CAST) ROMEO in ROMEO AND JULIET (character portrayed is male)
TRACK 9: (CAST) QUINCY/BART in MR. BURNS (character portrayed is female 20s - 30s) Will double as ESCALUS, FRIAR LAWRENCE or LADY CAPULET in ROMEO AND JULIET
TRACK 10: (CAST) GIBSON/ITCHY in MR. BURNS (character portrayed is male 40s) Will double as CAPULET, FRIAR LAWRANCE or ESCALUS in ROMEO AND JULIET
TRACK 11: (CAST) MATT/HOMER in MR. BURNS (character portrayed is male 20s-30s) Doubles as MERCUTIO in ROMEO AND JULIET
ROMEO AND JULIET CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
ESCALUS. (and as cast). M/F, 30s. Prince of Verona. Has gravitas and is well-respected. Wants what’s best for the city. Unafraid to hold people accountable.
MONTAGUE. (and as cast). M, 30s/40s. Head of the Montague family. Romeo’s father. In a blood feud with the Capulets. Loves his son and tries to help him.
CAPULET. M, 30s/40s. Head of the Capulet family. Juliet’s father. Very much a patriarch. A great host. Rules with an iron fist and also loves his family. Wants what he thinks is best for his daughter. Overly confident in his rightness and goodness. In a blood feud with Montagues.
MERCUTIO. M/F, 20s/30s. Kinsman to Prince. Fighting skills, good mover. Lover of language, lover of life. Fun at a party and beloved by friends. A spontaneous, spirited soul.
BENVOLIO. M/F, 20s/30s. Cousin and friend to Romeo. Caring, good, responsible friend who is good at smoothing things over. Trusted by both peers and adults.
TYBALT. M/F, 20s/30s. Juliet’s cousin. Great fighter and mover. A leader among his peers who does not like to be slighted. Believes in a code of honor and is known to give into rage.
FRIAR LAWRENCE. M/F, 20s/30s/40s. A benevolent soul who loves deeply. Spiritual person. Tries to do the right thing. A seeker of peace. Can sing.
LADY CAPULET. F, 30s/40s. Juliet’s mother. She loves her daughter but is uncertain how to parent. Places a premium on correct social conduct. Follows her husband’s lead.
NURSE. F, 30s/40s. Juliet’s nanny and stand-in parent. Funny, enjoys life even when acknowledging darkness, quick to laugh. Loves a good sex joke. Can sing.
ROMEO. M. Finding his place in the world. Close to his friends, but independent thinker. Loves deeply. Feels deeply. An old soul.
JULIET. F. Independent thinker. Knows herself well. Loves deeply. Brave and fierce. Witty and smart. Quick to laugh. An old soul.
MR. BURNS CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
MATT/HOMER - M, 20-40 - Alpha in a group, very smart, slightly obsessive, likes to be right. Would have been an MVP on a “trivia night” team in the before times. Sings.
JENNY/MARGE - F, 30’s/40’s – Very smart, likes to laugh, would have been the one who organized the company Holiday party at work in the before times. Good at crossword puzzles. A middle child from a big family. Sings.
SAM/MR BURNS - M, 30’s-40’s – Sam: Quiet, from a small town, likely worked a construction job in the before times. Maybe ex-military? Very methodical, and devoted to the group. Becomes technical director for the theater troupe in Act II. Mr Burns: tour de force of clowning, with great movement skills, demonic power, and ravenous ego, ala Richard III through a pop culture blender. Alive with the audience, balancing horror and glorious stupidity. Sings.
MARIA/LISA – F, 30’s - Younger sibling energy, wants to be a part of the group. Keeps a journal, observes everything closely. Likes to be in control, and have all t’s crossed and i’s dotted. Maybe did some kind of product design in the before times. Generally willing to go with the group, but willing to throw down about something that is important to her. Sings.
GIBSON/ITCHY - M, 40ish Nerdy windbreaker, a little high strung and particular, even in the before times. Went to graduate school, and had a professional job. Was part of an amateur Gilbert & Sullivan Society in the before times. Becomes a slightly high-maintenance leading player in the troupe in Act II. Sings.
QUINCY/BART – F, 30’s. Leading actor in the troupe in Act II, and in Act III, Bart Simpson, scrappy underdog hero, last holdout against the forces of darkness and evil. Sings.
COLLEEN – F, 30’s-40’s – A survivor. Traumatized by recent loss, Colleen is on the edge of the group around the campfire in Act I, still in a state of shock. By Act II, she’s functioning as the director of the troupe, managing personalities and budgets and time to keep things moving forward. Vibrates at a high frequency, holding it all together. Has a sidearm taped to her leg, and quickly defaults to survival mode when threatened. Sings.
EDNA – M/F/Non-Binary, 30’s - A teacher and a keeper of knowledge and memory. Might wear glasses. There’s an element of a high priest/priestess to this figure, although not in any recognizable tradition. The leader of the chorus of Shades of Springfield.
Equity’s contracts prohibit discrimination. Equity is committed to diversity and encourages all its employers to engage in a policy of equal employment opportunity designed to promote a positive model of inclusion. As such, Equity encourages performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, as well as performers with disabilities, to submit.
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