TITUS ANDRONICUS **Updated** Equity Principal Audition - Public Theatre Auditions

TITUS ANDRONICUS – Equity Principal Auditions

Public Theater Off-Broadway $736/week minimum.

Author: Shakespeare

Dir: Michael Sexton

1st reh: 11/1/11. Runs 11/29-12/18 at the Anspacher Theater.

Equity Principal Auditions:

Friday, September 16, 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

Please prepare a Shakespearean monologue, 2 minutes or less.

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

Titus is Rome’s greatest general and the head of a noble Roman family. When his armies vanquish the Goths, their defeated queen unleashes a fury that rocks Titus’s city, devastates his children, and shatters his sense of self.

Seeking (all roles are available unless otherwise specified):

Lavinia:

20s. Titus’s daughter. A young beauty. Lovely, brave and strong-willed, while still remaining girlish. Possesses a sense of righteousness that, at times, can border on haughtiness. In love with Bassianus. Victim of a brutal assault that leaves her incapable of speech and extremely traumatized. Role for an actress with incredible emotional and physical range.

Tamora:

40s. Queen of the Goths. Powerful, earthy, sensual, voracious. Ruthlessly protective of her honor and her children. After Titus sacrifices her son, she vows to destroy Titus and his family. Intelligent, cunning, she is a master of manipulation, which she effortlessly employs to control those around her and to exact her revenge.

Saturninus:

30s–40s. Eldest son of the deceased Emperor of Rome. Rash and impatient; has the volatile temperament of a spoiled child; likes to get what he wants, and he’s dangerous when he doesn’t. Able to change his loyalties on a dime. When he is rejected by Lavinia, he breaks with Titus and marries Tamora. Feels threatened by the public support that Titus and his family have earned, and allows himself to be easily manipulated by his vengeful queen.

Bassianus / Publius / Aemilius / Nurse:

Multi-role track. Bassianus: 30s. Saturninus’s younger brother, betrothed to Lavinia. Fails to become Emperor at the top of the play, but, in contrast to Saturninus, is a virtuous, moderate and honest man. Challenges Titus’s power, and invokes his wrath by stealing away with Lavinia after Titus unlawfully promises her to Saturninus. Publius: Nephew of Titus who cares for him after he is visited with misfortune. Aemilius: Nobleman of Rome. Warns Saturninus of Lucius’s growing power, and acts as ambassador between camps. Nurse: Brings Aaron the illegitimate child of Aaron and Tamora, and informs him of Tamora’s wish that the baby be killed.

Aaron The Moor:

30s-40s. Tamora’s secret lover and partner in crime. He is the agent of action who helps Tamora’s dreams of revenge become reality. Strong, violent and cruel, but simultaneously charismatic, charming and sexy. Extremely intelligent, and trusts no one. Patient, cunning and chillingly logical in his plans for violence.

Chiron / Voice of Quintus:

Dual-role track. Chiron: 20s. Tamora’s younger son. Like his brother, he has a pitiless, violent and dangerous nature. Engaged in a perpetual battle for dominance with his brother. Lusts after Lavinia. Voice of Quintus: Another son of Titus; falls victim to the same plot as his brother Martius.

Young Lucius / Alarbus / Mutius:

Multi-role track. Young Lucius: Actor plays 13–15. Young Lucius is Titus’s grandson. On the cusp of young adulthood; the horrors inflicted on his family force him to grow up quickly. Alarbus: Tamora’s son. He is sacrificed at the tomb of the Andronici in exchange for the Roman casualties of the Gothic War. Mutius: Titus’s son. Murdered by Titus in a fit of rage when he disobeys his father and sides with Bassianus and Lavinia.

The following roles are cast. Auditioning performers will be considered as possible (emergency) replacements, should any become necessary, and as understudies.

Titus:

CAST. 50s–60s. War-weary Roman general. Proud, arrogant. Puts great stock in loyalty, honor and tradition. Capable of committing acts of great honor and brutal violence. His narrow world-view, shaped by an unwavering sense of military honor, leads to his family’s downfall, and forces him down a path of madness and revenge.

Marcus:

CAST. 40s–50s. Brother of Titus, slightly younger. In contrast to his warrior brother, he is a tribune, a civilian politician. Sensible, just and even-keeled. Capable of acting as a voice of reason during his brother’s fearsome rages. A moderate man who is swept by Titus into a revolt against the emperor.

Lucius:

CAST. 30s. Titus’s eldest surviving son, banished by Saturninus. Captain in the Roman army. A man of action, rather than a man of talk. Begins the play as a bloodthirsty, headstrong soldier; after his banishment, he develops empathy and selflessness that protect him from the pervasive and infectious malice that surround him. Witnesses the brutal injustice inflicted upon his siblings and father, and is moved to swift and precise action.

Demetrius / Voice of Martius:

Update, posted 9/14/11: Track previously listed as available has now been CAST. Dual-role track. Demetrius: 20s. Tamora’s older son. Brutal, merciless and determined. After his brother is condemned to death by Titus, he swears his unwavering revenge. Aggressive, destructive, violent, a bully. A hair’s breadth away from violence at all times. Voice of Martius: One of Titus’s sons. Falls victim to a plot by Aaron, and is framed for Bassianus’s death.

Theatre’s statement: “We are committed to casting diverse companies … actors of all cultures, ages (when not otherwise specified), disabled and non-disabled [are encouraged to audition].”