MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Equity Principal Actors - Shakespeare on the Sound Auditions

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING - Darien, CT EPA

Shakespeare on the Sound | Norwalk, CT

AUDITION DATE

LOCATION

Thursday, January 29, 2026 — Christ Community Church, 988 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820. 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (E). Break: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Audition sign-in and holding room is located on the first floor in the sanctuary space. For an appointment, email
contactus@shakespeareonthesound.org. Parking is available in the lot behind the building. The train station is the closest Metro station.

CONTRACT

PERSONNEL

LOA: $734 weekly minimum (LOA ref. LORT) — 2025 rates.

Expected to attend: Aaron Simms, Executive Director; Stephanie Eiss, Director of Education and Outreach; David Frederick Mold, Director.

SEEKING

Equity actors for roles in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (see breakdown).

OTHER DATES

First rehearsal: May 19, 2026. First performance: June 10, 2026. Closing performance: June 28, 2026. Rehearsals will be in NYC. Generally, rehearsals are Tuesday–Saturday from 10:00 AM–6:00 PM and Sunday from 11:00 AM–3:00 PM. The last week of rehearsal, beginning June 5, will be in CT at Pinkney Park.

PREPARATION

Please prepare one Shakespeare monologue, preferably in verse, no more than 90 seconds. Much Ado monologues are welcomed but generally not required. No sonnets, please. Please bring a headshot and resume. You will be asked to fill out an information form upon arrival.

OTHER

An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this audition. Visit
www.shakespeareonthesound.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 attend every audition. Always bring your Equity Membership card to auditions.

BREAKDOWN

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

DON PEDRO

Prince of Aragon, powerful nobleman, a father figure to soldiers like Benedick and Claudio who have been fighting alongside him. He is polite, good to others, and smart, but easily sees wrongdoing in others and is therefore quick to be vengeful. He is also quick to believe the worst of others and hasty to take revenge.

LEONATO

Governor of Messina, respected and wealthy nobleman, father of Hero and the uncle of Beatrice. He is politically astute and wields his power well. He is humorous and gregarious; however, he is easily duped and easily humiliated, causing him to act rashly and with anger.

DON JOHN

Don Pedro's bastard brother and a soldier. He is the villain of the play, full of melancholy and deceit. Envious of his brother and his brother's stature and power, he relishes being a disrupter of social order.

ANTONIO

Brother to Leonato and Beatrice's father, a supportive family man. He acts with diplomacy and tries to keep order in the society.

CLAUDIO

A young Lord of Florence and heroic soldier in Don Pedro's army, acclaimed for his fighting. However, he is a highly suspicious person and easily believes rumors of others' bad behavior.

BENEDICK

A young Lord of Padua and valiant soldier in Don Pedro's army, from a noble family. He is highly intelligent, humorous, and full of wit, often making jokes and puns.

HERO

Daughter to Leonato and cousin of Beatrice. Hero is a naive, gentle, and kind young woman.

BEATRICE

Daughter to Antonio and niece to Leonato; she is Hero’s cousin. Beatrice is a dynamic and energetic young woman who pushes back against societal constraints for women. She is very intelligent and very quick-witted, as well as passionate about her family and protecting her cousin.

MARGARET

Waiting-gentlewoman attending on Hero from the lower social strata. She assists Borachio (her lover) and Don John in deceiving Claudio about Hero being unfaithful.

URSULA

Waiting-gentlewoman attending on Hero, from the noble class. She is intelligent, quick-witted, and very loyal. She believes in the solidarity of women in a society that limits them.

DOGBERRY

The Constable in Charge of the Watch (chief policeman) in Messina. He is very sincere in fulfilling his duties, which he takes seriously, but his actions are rife with incompetence. In attempting to impress others with what he believes is his intelligence, his speech is full of malaprops.

VERGES

Deputy Constable of the Watch; he is bumbling in his actions. A loyal partner of Dogberry, he speaks in a pompous and exaggerated manner.

BORACHIO

Follower of Don John and a soldier. He is Margaret's lover, and he works with Don John to make Hero appear unfaithful to Claudio. His name means “drunkard” in Italian.

CONRADE

Follower of Don John and a soldier. Deceitful and cunning, he is a manipulative, loyal supporter of Don John.

FRIAR FRANCIS

A generous, caring, and thoughtful man. He is committed to resolving difficult situations and advises and guides others with integrity.

BALTHASAR

A servant and musician in Leonato's household. He sings the song “Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more” about accepting men’s infidelity as a part of life.