ACTORS SHAKESPEARE PROJECT 2023-24 SEASON - CHARLESTOWN, MA EPA
ACTORS' SHAKESPEARE PROJECT
Charlestown Working Theater
442 Bunker Hill St
Charlestown, MA 02129-1718
Thu, May 4, 2023
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EDT)
Break: 1:00-2:00pm
For Equity appointments, sign up for audition at
www.actorsshakespeareproject.org/work-with-us/auditions. Please note that these are the only audition days available and we will not be able to see anyone on alternate dates. EMC actors are welcome to sign up for the EMC waiting list. Sign up information for non-Equity auditions is on our website.
www.actorsshakespeareproject.org
NEAT
$579 weekly minimum (Category 6)
Equity actors for roles in Actors Shakespeare Project 2023-24 Season (see breakdown).
Please note that Actors Shakespeare Project is committed to the hiring of local Boston actors.
All available roles are available for any and all actors, regardless of race, heritage, or gender identification.
We seek actors who are able to and enjoy playing multiple roles in a production, who are physically engaged in the work and with other ensemble members.
We look forward to seeing you!
Please prepare material of your choice (including, if you wish, selections from the season which are available at : Charlestown Working Theatre - 442 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown MA). For those who wish to perform a scene from the season, a reader will be available. Please be prepared to state your starting & stopping places with sides that you supply.
Expected to attend:
Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director
Regine Vital, Casting
See production dates in breakdown.
Typical Rehearsal Schedule: Tuesday-Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday days.
Each production schedule includes at least 5 weekday morning student matinees, which actors must be available for.
OTHER
Equity appointments are scheduled in five-minute intervals and each Equity member has a maximum of three minutes to audition.
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of audition.
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.
Equity encourages everyone participating in the auditions to wear a two-ply cloth face mask, surgical mask, singer’s mask or respirator (N95, KN95 or KF94). Single-ply face masks, gaiters and bandanas are not recommended. Singer’s masks can be found at www.broadwayreliefproject.com/singersmask.
Equity encourages members to prepare for their audition prior to arriving at the audition venue, to the extent that they can (e.g., get dressed, hair/make-up, etc.) to avoid crowding in bathrooms and dressing rooms.
Holding/Audition room information:
The audition room can accommodate no more than 88 individuals at a time.
The holding room can accommodate no more than 25 individuals at a time.
ASP’s Anti-racism Statement: Actors’ Shakespeare Project (ASP) is committed to actively examining and combating the multifaceted nature of racism in our company, our community, the theater industry and the United States. Racism is dehumanizing to everyone it touches and creates an environment that is not conducive to creative expression. Actors’ Shakespeare Project seeks to dismantle organizational systems, processes, structures, and cultures that discourage any person from engaging with us. We pledge to foster diversity, inclusivity, and equity across all of our Board, staff, artists, productions, educational programming, and business operations. The stories of all people will be reflected in all the work that we do.
No understudies are being cast.
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Christopher V. Edwards
First rehearsal: August 14, 2023
Opening: September 14, 2023
Closing: October 1, 2023
Content: This production will contain sexual themes, cross-dressing, comic violence, sexism (misogyny, misandry) and substance abuse.
After a long night of drinking, disruption, and harassing barmaids, Christopher Sly finds himself trapped in the worst of predicaments: a stage play. Thrown into the role of “The Shrew”, he tumbles headfirst into a world of witty wordplay, leering suitors, and the full force of the oppressive patriarchy. As the rest of the all-female/non-binary ensemble constructs the zany world of Padua around him, will Sly learn the error of his ways?
Available Roles:
Sly/Kate: (Male Identifying) Drunken rabble-rousing bar fly who plays Kate, daughter to Baptista. Kate is a rebel and force of nature. Charismatic. Wild. Strong, stubborn, self-willed, with a great sense of humor and razor-sharp wit. An outsider. She sees the world for what it is and refuses to accept it. Has been misjudged her entire life. By the end, she falls in love.
Ensemble: Female/non-binary. Constructs the zany world of Padua in the stage play. Ability to play an instrument a plus. Will play the following roles:
Petruchio: Suitor to Kate. Obstinate. Brave. Capricious and charismatic. Grieving the loss of his father. Pragmatic, very smart. Strapping. Refuses to take life seriously but sees how the world works. He falls in love.
Bianca: Kate's younger sister. Opinionated, funny, strong-willed, but can play the ingenue it works to her benefit. Enjoys toying with people.
Baptista: Father to Kate & Bianca. Powerful, tough, uncompromising. He was the world in the palm of his hands, yet he struggles to control his two strong daughters. This stumps and frustrates him.
Gremio: Elderly suitor to Bianca. Rich and flashy. Marriage as a business transaction. A bit of lecher.
Hortensio: Petruchio's best friend. Side-kick type. Smitten with Bianca, dresses up as a music teacher without much success. Honest and reliable.
Lucentio: Son of Vincentio. Handsome young man. Falls in love with Bianca. Goofy, yet earnest. Though he's a great prankster, he's not quite as smart as his servant, Tranio. Disguises as philosophy tutor.
Tranio: Lucentio's servant. Energetic, quick, smart. Hatches plan and dresses as Lucentio. He's the mastermind behind the operation but is lower class. Enjoys playing high status a little too much. Physical comedian.
Grumio: Petruchio's much-abused servant. Persistent and charming, yet irresponsible; a wisecracking curmudgeon.
By Paula Vogel
Directed by: TBA
First rehearsal: October 10, 2023
Opening: November 3, 2023
Closing: November 26, 2023
THE STORY: A wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road and life from behind the wheel.
Content: This production will contains racial and sexual discrimination, sexual themes, grooming, death, mentions of pedophilia, depictions of sexual abuse and substance abuse.
Available roles:
Lil’ Bit: Female Identifying. Caucasian. (40’s - 60’s). She is the protagonist in the narrative, now an adult the story charts her childhood years into young adulthood. A survivor. Heavy drinker later in life.
Uncle Peck: Male Identifying. Caucasian. (40 - 60’s). He is the uncle to Li’l Bit. He embodies the character of the pedophilic and incestuous family member who takes advantage of a child’s innocence. The only one who truly connects with Li’l Bit on an emotions level. He is caring in his teaching her to drive. Charming, vulnerable, and abusive.
Male Greek Chorus: Male Identifying. Any race or culture. Several characters ranging in age from 20’s-70’s. Comedic timing a plus.
Female Greek Chorus: Female Identifying. Any race or culture. Several characters ranging in age from 20’s -70’s. Comedic timing a plus.
Teenage Greek Chorus: Female or Non-Binary Identifying. Any race or culture. Several characters ranging in age from teenage to 70’s. Comedic timing a plus.
By August Wilson
Directed by TBD
First rehearsal: February 5, 2024
Opening: March 8, 2024
Closing: March 31, 2024
The story: Set in the 1980’s. Peddling stolen refrigerators in the feeble hope of making enough money to open a video store, King Hedley, is scraping in the dirt of an urban backyard trying to plant seeds where nothing will grow. Drawing on characters established in Seven Guitars, King Hedley II shows the shadows of the past reaching into the present as King seeks retribution for a lie perpetrated by his mother regarding the identity of his father.
Content: This production will contain themes of racism, sexual violence, abortion and adult language.
Available roles:
All characters are of African descent.
King Hedley II: Has a vicious scar running down the left side of his face. Spent seven years in prison. Strives to live by his own moral code. (30’s - 40’s)
Ruby: King’s Mother. Former big band singer who recently moved back to Pittsburgh. (50-60’s)
Mister: King’s best friend since grade school and sometimes business partner. (30’s - 40’s)
Elimore: Ruby’s long-time, but sporadic flame. A professional hustler. (50’s-60’s) Tonya: King’s wife of a few years. (30’s-40’s.)
Stool Pigeon: King’s next-door neighbor. The Hill’s spiritual and practical truthsayer. (50’s-60’s.)
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Marianna Bassham
First rehearsal: April 2, 2023
Opening: May 3, 2024
Closing: May 26, 2024
NOTES: An ensemble-driven production. Actors will be playing multiple roles. Singing and playing a musical instrument is a plus.
Content: This production will contain depictions of suicide, violence, and drug use.
Available Roles:
Juliet: Teenager who has fallen in love with Romeo.
Romeo: Teenager who has fallen in love with Juliet.
Capulet: Juliet's father.
Lady Capulet: Juliet's mother.
Nurse/Prince: Nanny/caretaker for Juliet/Law enforcement figure in the play.
Friar: Religious figure in the play. Confident to Juliet and Romeo.
Tybalt: Hot-headed enemy to Romeo and cousin to Juliet.
Benvolio/Apothecary: Best friend to Romeo and local pharmacist/dealer of drugs.
Gregory: Works for the Capulets
Balthazar: Works for the Montagues.
Abraham/ Peter: Works for the Montagues/Works for the Capulets
Paris/ Lord Montague: Interested in marrying Juliet/Romeo’s father.
Lady Montague/ Mercutio: Mother to Romeo/ Friend to Romeo and cousin of the Prince
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