Nashville Shakespeare Festival
CONTRACT
LOA $559 weekly minimum (LOA ref LORT)
SEEKING
Equity actors for roles in CYMBELINE and GEM OF THE OCEAN (see breakdown).
Local Nashville actors are encouraged to submit.
INSTRUCTIONS
SEE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS IN BREAKDOWN. Please upload your video to a sharing platform such as YouTube, and send a link along with your headshot and resume. Please go to https://www.nashvilleshakes.org/audition-summer-2022 for directions to submit an audition.
Deadline: Thu, Apr 7, 2022
PERSONNEL
Viewing auditions:
Director: Leah Lowe
Producer: Kenneth Dozier
NSF Artistic Director: Denice Hicks
Director: Chuck Smith
OTHER DATES
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
First Rehearsal July 19, 2022
Opening August 25, 2022
Closing September 23, 2022
“Cymbeline
First Rehearsal July 12, 2022
Opening August 18, 2022
Closing September 25, 2022
OTHER
www.nashvilleshakes.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 submit.
BREAKDOWN
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Cymbeline - Please slate your audition either at the beginning or end. Perform 90 seconds of Shakespeare (two short contrasting pieces that showcase versatility), at least one verse piece required.
Gem of the Ocean - Please state your name, city, role you are auditioning for, and state if you are interested in being in Cymbeline too either at the beginning or end of your slate. Perform a 2-minute monologue from an August Wilson play of your choice (choose pieces that showcase versatility). Particularly seeking actors interested in Gem of the Ocean and Cymbeline. If you are interested in being in Cymbeline too, please submit a Cymbeline audition by following the Cymbeline audition requirements.
CYMBELINE by William Shakespeare, directed by Leah Lowe
Male and female characters may be played by actors of any gender. All characters may be any ethnicity.
CYMBELINE—(over 60) - A foolish old man. He rages incessantly but does have a soft spot for Imogen. Male.
CLOTEN—(20-30. A dolt)- Not a smart guy. Self-important, vain. Male.
POSTHUMOUS—(25-35. A handsome guy)- Able to express both bravado and remorse. Lion-like. Male.
BELARIUS—(Over 45)- A gruff and affectionate father, heroic soldier, fresh air enthusiast. Can be pretty big physically—free and large movement capacity. Male.
GUIDERIUS AND ARVIRAGUS—(Under 25)- Cave boys whose princely nature cannot be hidden. Guiderius is older and more action-oriented. Arviragus, more lyrical and contemplative. Present as male.
PHILARIO—(25-35)- Friend to Posthumous. Level-headed responsible guy. Older than Posthumous. Male.
IACHIMO—(30-45. An Iago)- Moved by jealousy, can’t be wrong. Snake-like. Insinuates. There is something really wrong with this guy, though he is able to put on a veneer of smoothness. Male.
CAIUS LUCIUS—(Over 50)- A diplomat. Wise, wants to avoid war, but how can that be done given Cymbeline’s foolishness? Any gender.
PISANIO—(Over 40)- A true blue loyal friend and servant. Older than Imogen and Posthumous. Kind and good. Smart too. Works to have everything end up well. Male.
CORNELIUS—(Over 40)- A bookish thoughtful proto-pharmacist. Has a capacity to be funny. Any gender.
TWO LORDS/TWO GENTLEMAN—(Over 25)- Comical lords who comment on Cloten. Ideally, peers of Cloten’s. Snide and witty.
QUEEN—(Over 45)- Icy, evil. Composed, ambitious. She is very bad. Female.
IMOGEN—(18-25)- Our princess. She is game for adventure. There is a kind of impulsivity and fluidity. Big heart, big spirit. Female.
GEM OF THE OCEAN by August Wison, directed by Chuck Smith
Aunt Ester Tyler - (Black, Female, 40 - 80) - a former slave and a soul-cleanser, who is the head of 1839 Wylie Avenue. She claims to be 285 years old and acts as the benevolent, if disciplinarian, ruler of the household. She entertains the romantic ambitions of Solly. She is a recurring character in several of Wilson's plays of the Pittsburgh Cycle.
Citizen Barlow - (Black, male, 30-50) - A young man from Alabama who comes to the house to be cleansed by Ester. He is enlisted to help construct a wall, and eventually journeys to The City of Bones.
Solly Two Kings - (Black, Male, 40 - 80) - a friend of Aunt Ester. He is a former slave from Alabama who later became a conductor on the underground railroad and a scout for the Union Army. He makes a career of gathering up dog excrement, which he calls pure, used for working leather. He carries a large walking stick and is in love with Aunt Ester. His real name is Alfred Jackson, but he calls himself Two Kings (referring to King David and King Solomon) and is nicknamed Solly.
Black Mary Wilks - (Black, Female, 25 - 50) - Ester's housekeeper and her protégé in the art of Soul Cleansing. Caesar's sister. She performs most of the household tasks, but never to the satisfaction of Ester.
Caesar Wilks - (Black, Male, 40 - 80) - Black Mary's brother, a policeman, baker and land-owner. He upholds the law at all costs. He practices strict capitalism and has no qualms with killing a man over a petty crime.
Eli - (Black, Male, 40 - 80) - Aunt Ester's caregiver, he protects the inhabitants and is constructing a wall. He was Solly's comrade in his efforts on the Underground Railroad and for The Union Army.
Rutherford Selig - (White, Male, 40 - 80) - A peddler and friend of Ester's who frequently visits the house. He sells rocks, cobblestones, pots, pans and other crockery.
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 submit.
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