A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - GovState Theatre and Performance Studies Non Equity Auditions

Audition Notice

GovState Theatre and Performance Studies presents

A Midsummer Night's Dream

By: William Shakespeare

Adapted and Directed by: Jane F. Cox

Audition Dates:

September 8 from 5 pm-8 pm
September 9 from 5 pm-9 pm

Callbacks: September 12 from 1 pm-4 pm

Self-Tape Submissions: Video Submissions open until Tuesday, September 8

• Send your tape to scorum@govst.edu

SCHEDULE AN AUDITION

Performance Dates: November 12-15, 2026

Four public performances at Governors State University’s Sherman Hall

An Arts in Education performance will occur the morning of November 12th for local schools.

Location:

Governors State University
Sherman Hall
1 University Pkwy
University Park, IL 60484

About The Show:

A bold, contemporary take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this production places Shakespeare’s classic in a modern urban world. Four young lovers navigate identity, love, and confusion as mischievous forces turn everything upside down. Blending original text with music, movement, and dynamic visuals, this engaging adaptation makes Shakespeare accessible and exciting, inviting students to explore themes of transformation, self-expression, and the magic of imagination.

About the Production:

This is a live production in front of an audience. All rehearsals will be held on campus, with most occurring in Sherman Hall.

Audition Requirements:
Auditions will consist primarily of cold readings from Shakespearean monologues and scenes from the text selected by the director.

Actors may also choose to perform a fully memorized Shakespearean monologue of their choice. This is entirely optional and is not required to be considered for a role.

No previous Shakespeare experience is necessary.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Casting ages indicate the characters’ general stage age/presentation and are not strict requirements. Some roles may be doubled.

THESEUS — Male-presenting, 40+
President of the university and the embodiment of institutional authority: confident, polished, accustomed to being obeyed.

HIPPOLYTA — Female-presenting, 40+
Theseus’s formidable partner and equal, with intelligence, confidence, and an independent point of view.

EGEUS / QUINCE — Any gender presentation, 40+
One actor may play both roles. Egeus is Hermia’s opinionated parent, an educated administrator/faculty type convinced they know what is best for their daughter. Quince is the earnest leader/director of the campus theatre group, competent but perhaps overly indulgent of their favorite actor, Bottom.

HERMIA — Female-presenting, 18–25
A confident member of the university pep/cheer squad who loves Lysander and refuses to let her parent choose her boyfriend.

HELENA — Female-presenting, 18–25
Hermia’s friend and fellow pep/cheer squad member: smart, passionate, funny, and painfully determined to win back Demetrius.

LYSANDER — Male-presenting, 18–25
A charismatic student-athlete deeply in love with Hermia and decidedly not Egeus’s idea of an appropriate match.

DEMETRIUS — Male-presenting, 18–25
An artsy, intellectual student whom Egeus considers a far more suitable match for Hermia, despite Helena’s unwavering love for him.

OBERON — Male-presenting, 18–29
Magnetic and commanding, Oberon is a leader of the campus counterculture, the unofficial king of the university after dark.

TITANIA — Female-presenting, 18–29
Charismatic, artistic, fiercely independent, and deeply respected within the counterculture community; Titania is the university’s unofficial queen and Oberon’s equal.

PUCK / ROBIN GOODFELLOW — Any gender presentation, 18+
A mischievous, unpredictable campus wild card who moves between people, places, and worlds and delights in disrupting all of them.

BOTTOM — Male-presenting, 18+
An enormously enthusiastic and enormously self-confident theatre kid who considers himself the company’s star. Quince may adore him but his fellow actors find him domineering, exhausting, and impossible to ignore.

FLUTE — Any gender presentation, 18+
A member of the campus theatre group who is less than thrilled about being cast as Thisbe and even less thrilled by Bottom’s constant interference.

SNUG — Any gender presentation, 18+
An earnest member of the theatre group who takes even the smallest assignment very seriously.

SNOUT — Any gender presentation, 18+
A game and good-natured theatre kid who has learned that surviving rehearsal sometimes means simply letting Bottom finish talking.

STARVELING — Any gender presentation, 18+
Another member of the scrappy campus theatre ensemble, accustomed to the chaos that comes with making theatre and working with Bottom.

FAIRIES / COUNTERCULTURE ENSEMBLE — Any gender presentation, 18+
The artists, outsiders, free spirits, and night owls who inhabit Oberon and Titania’s after-hours campus world. Several of the Mechanicals/theatre kids may double as fairies, revealing a completely different side of themselves after dark.

Additional roles and doubling may be determined based on casting.

REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE COMMITMENT

Rehearsals are anticipated 3–4 times per week, generally consisting of:

• 2–3 weekday evening rehearsals

• One weekend afternoon rehearsal

Not every actor will necessarily be called to every rehearsal. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be developed following casting.

Performance dates:

Thursday, November 12 — 10:00 AM & 7:30 PM
Friday, November 13 — 7:30 PM (possible 10:00 AM performance)
Saturday, November 14 — 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 15 — 3:00 PM

Actors should disclose all known conflicts at the time of audition.

Casting:

We welcome performers with a wide range of theatrical experience, including actors who have never performed Shakespeare before. Curiosity, playfulness, commitment, and willingness to dig into the language are encouraged. Auditions are open to students and non-students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

*This is a non-paying production. Please consider the rehearsal and performance commitment carefully before auditioning.

CONTACT:

For further audition information or to express an interest in working backstage, please contact the Production Manager, Staci Corum at scorum@govst.edu

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