WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 – 7-9 pm & THURSDAY, MAY 15 – 8-10 pm
Dramatic Comedy / 6 ‘Females’, 18 ‘Males’ open to gender-blind casting
All roles are non-paying
Please sign up prior to audition
https://chicagostreet.org/auditions/
6 women, 18 men
Playwrights
Will Shakespeare: A passionate poet and playwright who alternates between anxiously brooding over his writer’s block and boasting all the cocky confidence and charm expected from one of Elizabethan England’s most renowned dramatists. A friend to, and playful competitor of, Kit Marlowe, Will is a sensitive soul searching for a muse — which he finds, both theatrically and romantically, in the equally fervent Viola.
Kit Marlowe: Will’s more successful theatrical cohort, never suffers from the writer’s block that plagues his pal — he always knows exactly what Will should write or say next. Smooth and charming, Kit is perpetually good-humored and encouraging — the best kind of friend(ly competitor).
The De Lesseps House
Viola De Lesseps: A noblewoman who fiercely dreams of becoming an actor, she disguises herself as Thomas Kent in order to perform, illegally, in Shakespeare’s latest play. Engaged to Lord Wessex, a man she hardly knows or cares for, and restricted by a society that bases her worth solely on her marriage prospects, she escapes to the stage, where she thrives in reciting the playwright’s poetry and subsequently falls in love with Will. Rebellious and passionate, Sheakespeare’s verse should roll off this devotees tongue, and she should embody a sense of playfulness and determination in her attempts to play a man.
Nurse: A devoted servant to Viola, helping her Lady with kindness and humor, to dress as an actor and avoid the priggish Lord Wessex.
Sir Robert De Lesseps: Viola’s father; thinks of his daughter only as a piece of property to be given away to the odious Lord Wessex.
Lord Wessex: An insufferable and cash-poor nobleman engaged to Viola, is smarmy with the Queen, but hateful to nearly everyone else. A shameless misogynist, Wessex desires Viola only for her father’s wealth.
The Rose Theatre
Henslowe: Owner and manager of the Rose Theatre, which will host Shakespeare’s newest comedy. He must continually hound the ever-pondering playwright for the play. A slippery equivocator, his increasing debts and frustrations are ripe fodder for a comedic actor.
Fennyman: Producer of plays — aka “the money.” A ruthless loan shark with no sense of humor (to Henslowe’s great dismay), he cuts an imperious and intimidating figure. However, his enthusiasm — and resulting stage fright — at playing the supporting role of the Apothecary in Romeo & Juliet endears him to his fellow players and audiences alike.
Lambert and Frees: Fennyman’s accomplices and henchmen
Ralph: An actor who plays Nurse and Petruchio
Nol: An actor who plays Benvolio and Samson
Robin: An actor who plays Lady Capulet
Adam: An actor who plays Gregory, Benvolio, and Servingman
John Webster: A street urchin who aspires to be an actor
Wabash: A stammering actor and Henslowe’s tailor
The Admiral’s Men
Ned Alleyn: The lead actor of the Admiral’s Men, plays Mercutio. Self-absorbed and a bit reckless, this pompous actor agrees to take the role only when he thinks the play’s title is Mercutio.
Sam: An actor who plays Juliet
Peter: An actor who plays Tybalt
The Chamberlain’s Men
Burbage: The lead actor of the Chamberlain’s Men, a rival troupe of the Admiral’s Men and owner of the Curtain Theatre. He becomes enraged and instigates a sword fight with Will when he discovers the playwright gave Romeo & Juliet to the Admiral’s Men.
The Palace
Queen Elizabeth I: England’s shrewd monarch who loves the theatre but demands comedies that incorporate dogs. She sternly commands her courtiers and playwrights alike. A daunting presence, she delivers her proclamations drolly and fairly.
Mistress Quickly: Wardrobe mistress at Whitehall Palace
Edmund Tilney: The Lord Chamberlain and obsequious courtier to Queen Elizabeth, manages court entertainment. Strict and exacting in his position, he is deferential to the Queen and censorious to Will and his plays.
Videos
