Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2024 Season - Ashland, OR EPA
Oregon Shakespeare Festival | Ashland, OR
Saturday, November 4, 2023
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (P)
Lunch 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
To set up an audition appointment please go to:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AA8AC2AABF8C25-45459521-local#/. Once you have secured your audition time, please fill out the following form:
https://airtable.com/appAQroexNsoFmysy/shrPTxzBZJxFIefWy. If you have any questions, you may reach out to
OSFcasting@osfashland.org .
LORT Rep
$1096 weekly minimum (LORT B+) - 2023
rates - pending negotiation.
Equity actors for roles in Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2024 Season (See breakdown).
All roles will be understudied.
All Equity stage managerial positions are currently filled.
Please prepare two contrasting monologues, one Shakespeare and one contemporary. If you'd like to be considered for LIZARD BOY, please accompany yourself on an instrument appropriate to the preferred character track. No more than 3 minutes total. An accompanist will be provided. Also, please bring your headshot and resume stapled together.
Hay Patton Rehearsal Hall
200 Enders Alley
Ashland, OR 97520
Studio 2B - THIS SPACE'S VENTILATION HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION.
Expected to attend:
Festival Producer: Donya K Washington
(she/her/hers)
Rehearsals begin: February 6, 2024
Closing: October 13, 2024
www.osfashland.org
An Equity Monitor will not be provided. The producer will run all aspects of this 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.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival produces in repertory. Most actors and stage managers work on multiple shows throughout the year. A standard repertory contract includes up to four assignments, including understudies.
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Evren Odcikin
Choreographed by Jon Rua
Angus Bowmer Theatre
Rehearsals: 2/6/2024 – 2/28/2024
Tech: 2/29/2024 – 3/27/2024
Previews/Performances: 3/19/2024 – 10/12/2024
“Blood must have blood.”
In this powerful exploration of fate, an unexpected prophecy sends Macbeth on a fervent and murderous quest to become King. Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy shows the underbelly of ambition in a world steeped in power mongering, war, and magic. This muscular, modern production is an ensemble-based showcase for OSF’s acting company.
The world of the play is inspired by Nordic and Scottish historical elements but will be rendered through a dark and modern lens. The production will lean on choral and ensemble-based storytelling. The war and magic sequences in this production will be stylized and heavily choreographed. Movement and fight experience is essential, so auditions will include a movement video submission.
Shares with: Jane Eyre
Macbeth: Cast.
Lady Macbeth/As Cast: Cast.
First Witch/As Cast, Second Witch/As Cast, Third Witch/As Cast: All three Cast. Any age, femme, any race. Singers. The Weird Sisters are of the Earth and the Forest. They survive in the inhospitable Nordic landscape by feeding on chaos and men’s ambition. They are connected to Hecate, who gives them the power of magic and prophecy. They Double as Murderers and Macbeth’s servants as the circle tightens in the court.
Duncan/As Cast: Cast. 50s-60s, male, any race. Duncan is the King of Scotland at the top of the play. He is honorable and trusting, but not afraid of war and violence. He loves his son Malcolm. He is murdered by Macbeths while visiting their castle.
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Malcolm/As Cast: Cast. 20s, masculine, any race. Duncan's son and heir. He escapes to Britain when his father is murdered. With Britain’s support, he rallies many Scottish nobles and wages a war to recover his usurped throne. Unlike his father, he’s drawn to brutality and will make an oppressive King.
Banquo/As Cast: Cast. 35+, masculine, any race. Even keeled and honorable, Banquo is a Scottish Thane and Macbeth’s co-general in the wars. The Witches' prophecy that his issue will be Kings dooms him. He is murdered by Macbeth in a plot.
Macduff/As Cast: Cast. 35+, male, any race. A noble and ethical idealist, Macduff does not support Macbeth after Duncan’s death. This dooms his family who are brutally murdered by Macbeth. He joins forces with Malcolm, but at the battle of Dunsinane soon abandons them while on a single-minded quest to find and kill Macbeth himself.
Lady Macduff/As Cast: Cast. 30+, feminine, any race. Lady Macduff is the wife of a Thane but is down-to-earth and a realist. She is angered by her husband’s abandonment of the family. She and her child are murdered by Macbeth.
Fleance/As Cast: Teens, any gender, any race. Fleance is Banquo’s son. He accompanies his father to Macbeth’s castle and joins him in riding the day he is murdered. He escapes.
Ross/As Cast: Cast. Any age, any gender, any race. A thane in Duncan’s court. A tactical and glib tongued fellow, he has a knack for being on the winning side and placing himself first.
Lennox/As Cast: Cast. Any gender, any age, any race. Lennox is a Thane attending on Duncan. She joins Macbeth’s court, but slowly grows suspicious and joins Malcolm in the war against Macbeth.
Donalbain/As Cast: Cast. Teens, any gender, any race. Younger son of King Duncan, brother to Malcom, and heir to the throne. Fights as Young Siward.
The Alley Theatre production of
By Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by Rob Melrose
Associate Director – Anna Crace
Angus Bowmer Theatre
Rehearsals: 2/20/2024 – 3/7/2024
Tech: 3/8/2024 – 3/28/2024
Previews/Performances: 3/20/2024 – 10/13/2024
Get an inside peek at the tumultuous relationship of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, each harboring momentous secrets. Born with Teeth plunges you into the palace intrigue, high stakes spy craft, and cutthroat betrayals of a ruthlessly ambitious age that is surprisingly like our own. This delicious, sexy, and award-winning new play offers an alternate perspective on the history we think we know.
Shares with: Much Ado About Nothing
Both actors should have a youthful spirit, no matter their age. Both should be good with language and physical actors.
Will: [20s-40s] The up-and-comer Will Shakespeare at the beginning of his career. Though he has a wife and kids back in Stratford, he spends much of his time in London. Appears shy at first but is no fool and knows his own worth. Has an innate ability to create and sympathize with his characters, no matter their flaws. Will not allow himself to be backed into a corner, no matter the cost.
Kit: [20s-40s] The great Kit Marlowe who boasts of living on the edge. He regards Will as an “upstart crow” who should be grateful for the partnership. A peacock in the writer's den, as well as a tease. He is constantly testing Will politically and artistically. He seduces Will to continually disclose vulnerable information and then threatens to use it against him if he doesn't join Kit as a spy.
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Miriam Laube
Allen Elizabethan Theatre
Rehearsals: 3/29/2024 – 5/15/2024
Tech: 5/16/2024 – 6/11/2024
Previews/Performances: 6/1/2024 – 10/12/2024
“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.”
Love’s in the air when Don Pedro’s army, drunk with victory from the war, descends upon Leonato’s country estate in Messina. Traveling with him is Claudio, who wants to marry Leonato’s daughter Hero. Meanwhile, Claudio’s friend Benedick and Leonato’s lively niece Beatrice hide their mutual attraction behind a volley of witty insults. But their world is shattered when Claudio, influenced by a scheming malcontent, levels a shocking accusation at Hero. A linguistically challenged guard and his sidekicks uncover the plot, casting a beam of hopefulness in this tempestuous landscape of love.
Shares with: Jane Eyre, Born with Teeth
Benedick: Cast.
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Beatrice: Cast. [30s-40s] An iconoclast. A woman who sees the truth and speaks it often mocking social conventions. She has a way with words and knows it. Devoted to her cousin. In love with Benedick but can’t admit it.
Claudio/As Cast: [20s-30s] a Count of Don Pedro’s suite, who has distinguished himself in the recent war. Young, easily deceived, quick to jealousy but goes on a journey to true remorse. In love with Hero.
Hero/As Cast: [20s-30s] A young woman with an inner radiance. Sheltered and obedient. In love with Claudio. Finds her way to forgiveness.
Leonato/As Cast: Cast. [50s-60s] Wealthy governor of Messina. Patriarch of the family. Father to Hero, uncle and guardian of Beatrice. Capable of great joy and rage.
Antoni(a)-Ursala/Sexton/As Cast: Cast. [50s-60s] Antonio and Ursula will be combined into Antonia. Antonia is the sister of Leonato and confidante of Hero and Beatrice. Fiercely loyal to her family. Will double with the Sexton who is the judge of the town.
Don Pedro/As Cast: Cast. [30s–50s] The Prince of Aragon. Recently home from a successful military campaign. Disappointed in his younger brother Don John. Great supporter and friend of Claudio and Benedick.
Don John/As Cast: [30s] A bastard. Half-brother of Don Pedro. A disrupter. Jealous of his brother’s affection toward Claudio. In revenge, he plots to destroy what Claudio most loves.
Borachio/As Cast: Cast. [any age] one of Don John’s followers, a drunkard with a crafty mind. He comes up with a plot to help Don John get revenge on Claudio.
Conrade/Balthazaar/As Cast: [any age] one of Don John’s followers. Sings.
Dogberry/As Cast: Cast. [any age] the constable of the Watch, whose job is to patrol the streets of Messina at night and keep order. Dogberry has very few doubts about himself. A determined word mangler, a fact of which he is blissfully unaware.
Verges/Priest: Cast. [any age] Dogberry’s partner as commander of the Watch. She seems to be completely under Dogberry’s thumb and does her best to accomplish the duties of the Watch. Will double as the priest. The priest, at the height of Leonato’s rage, counsels forbearance. Has great verse skills.
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Margaret/As Cast: [any age] Hero’s waiting-gentlewoman. In love with Borachio. Watch/As Cast: [any age] overhears Borachio’s bragging and helps bring Hero to justice.
Adapted from a novel by Charlotte Brontë by Elizabeth Williamson
Directed by Dawn Monique Williams
Allen Elizabethan Theatre
Rehearsals: 3/29/2024 – 5/13/2024
Tech: 5/14/2024 – 6/11/2024
Previews/Performances: 5/31/2024 – 10/11/2024
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.”
In this Gothic story of resilience and romance, Jane is determined to craft a fulfilling life for herself, despite starting life as a penniless orphan. When she is hired as a governess at a society mansion, she falls passionately in love with the brooding homeowner Edward Rochester, only to discover that he – and his home – are surrounded by dark secrets. When the secrets are revealed, how will Jane preserve her chances for happiness?
Shares with: Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing
Jane Eyre/As Cast: Cast. [25+, Black, Mixed-Race or Multi-Ethnic Black femme presenting] the Jane who is narrating the story is a decade or so older than she was during the period she is describing, when she was 18-19 years old; is serious, determined to make her own way in the world, despite the difficulties of her position as an orphan with no money; she is passionate, and has the tenacity to make opportunities for herself; she has a remarkable imagination, a huge appetite for life, learning and new experiences, and the capacity for both extreme happiness and desolation; she considers herself to be plain, and presents herself to the world neatly, but with great propriety; she has a strong moral code, but also a mischievous tongue; she yearns for the human connection she’s been denied her entire life.
Rochester/As Cast: Cast. [40+, from the African, South Asian, Pacific Island or Latine diaspora/s] Naturally gifted, intelligent, curious; has been worn down by his experiences; he has become bitter, and untrusting of the world and other human beings; he longs to be loved, but fears he will not be, and considers himself unattractive; his temper is uncertain, but he can be deeply charming, witty and endearing. Instantly drawn to Jane, he is very frustrated by his situation, and obsesses over how to overcome it, without being able to trust her enough to explain.
Adele Varens/Child Jane/As Cast: [18+, youthful look, Black, Mixed-Race or Multi-Ethnic Black femme presenting] Adele is Jane’s pupil at Thornfield, Adèle Varens is a lively though somewhat spoiled child from France.
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John/As Cast: Cast. [50+] John is an old family retainer of the Rochester and Fairfax families, and has worked for Rochester, and his father before him, all his life.
Mr Wood/As Cast: Cast. [50+] Mr Wood is the rector at Thornfield, an upright, respectable and long standing member of the local community.
Blanche Ingram/As Cast: Cast. [25+] Blanche Ingram is the leading force of her particular society; confident in her own abilities to attract, she is looking for a husband, as long as he comes with the right qualities.
Mason/As Cast: Cast. [25+, from the African, South Asian, Pacific Island or Latine diaspora/s] Is an easily swayed young man—up to a point; attached to Rochester, concerned about his sister and focused on ensuring her well-being, with uncertain health.
Leah/As Cast: Cast. [25-39] Leah is a housemaid at Thornfield.
Mrs. Fairfax/As Cast: Cast. [45+] An able, kindly woman, who doesn’t always acknowledge what she instinctively knows – i.e., when offered a secure position as a lady-housekeeper with a caveat, she doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. Despite this, she tries to do her best for those she cares for, including Jane and Adele.
Created and performed by Lisa Wolpe
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 3/12/2024 – 3/18/2024
Tech: 3/19/2024 – 3/21/2024
Previews/Performances: 3/21/2024 – 5/4/2024
Internationally renowned actor Lisa Wolpe has arguably played more of the Bard’s male roles than any woman in history. From cross-gender exploration to the unforgettable story of her life, Lisa triumphantly illustrates that Shakespeare’s insight into the human condition is as relevant as ever.
Lisa: Cast.
Created and performed by Rodney Gardiner
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 3/12/2024 – 3/19/2024
Tech: 3/20/2024 – 3/22/2024
Previews/Performances: 3/22/2024 – 5/12/2024
In this one-man comedy, Rodney tries to abandon God despite his deeply Christian roots. His story is one of an undocumented Black boy growing up in tumultuous 1980’s Miami where racial unrest, an immigration crisis, and the drug war is just another Tuesday. Smote This is an entertaining web of stories and tangents that explores one Black man’s reckoning with tradition, legacy, and religion.
Rodney: Cast.
Created and performed by Robin Goodrin Nordli
Directed by Penny Metropolis
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 5/5/2024 – 5/14/2024
Tech: 5/15/2024
Previews/Performances: 5/16/2024 – 7/21/2024
In this witty, insightful and revealing one woman show, actress Robin Goodrin Nordli draws from her experiences of performing in 61 productions of 30 plays by William Shakespeare. From the innocent virgins of her past to the vindictive villains of her present, Robin explores her own life through the prism of her relationship with Shakespeare’s women.
Robin: Cast.
Book, music, and lyrics by Justin Huertas
Directed by Brandon Ivie
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 5/14/2024 – 5/28/2024
Tech: 5/29/2024 – 6/13/2024
Performances: 6/11/2024 – 10/12/2024
“I wanna let something happen today.”
Trevor has become a myth in his hometown: a lonesome outsider dubbed the “Lizard Boy of Point Defiance.” As a child, a strange encounter with a dragon turned his skin green and scaly. Now, ashamed of his appearance, he leaves his home only one day each year—on Monsterfest, the anniversary of the incident. Nervously, Trevor agrees to a night out with a new date, Cary, and the two meet Siren—another survivor of the dragon encounter who insists the dragons will return and begs Trevor to join her and fight them. Can Trevor accept himself and face the dragons? Will he save his city...and his first date?
Shares with: Jane Eyre (performances only)
All actors must have strong pop/rock musical skills on their respective instruments. Trevor and Cary should be able to effortlessly accompany themselves as they perform. All actors must move well and be able to multitask as they are asked to sing, move, and yes, fight, while playing instruments. A dual sense of joyful play and hyper attention to detail is necessary for all three of these roles. And they’re all funny.
Trevor: Cast.
Cary: Cast.
Siren: Cast.
Understudy Roles:
Trevor: (he/him, non-white, 25) Reclusive and neurotic singer-songwriter and sketch artist whose youthful, sometimes naïve optimism and his dry sense of humor mask his pain. Has green lizard skin. Goes on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Tenor. Plays advanced cello, advanced rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, and ukulele.
Cary: (he/him, white, late 20s) Charismatic and confident singer-songwriter whose goofiness makes him charming and whose emotional literacy makes him sexy AF. Trevor's love interest. Comedic skills a plus. Baritenor. Plays advanced rhythm and lead guitar, ukulele, piano, glockenspiel, must also be able to beatbox.
Siren: (she/her, any ethnicity, 25) Magnetic and weird rock singer-songwriter. We meet her jaded and resigned but soon see the terrifying drive simmering beneath the tattoos. Her past and future are bound to Trevor's. Strong sense of dark comedy. Powerful mezzo rock belter with high mix-belt/wail. Plays basic piano, basic guitar, ukulele, melodica, and various percussion instruments. Must be comfortable moving in high heels.
Created and performed by Barzin Akhavan
Directed by Desdemona Chiang
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 7/11/2024 – 7/27/2024
Tech: 7/28/2024 – 7/30/2024
Previews/Performances: 7/31/2024 – 9/15/2024
This one-man show tells a true story of the journey a young man takes to find belonging in two worlds divided, utilizing multilingual dialogue, traditional Iranian music, and coupled with American pop culture.
Barzin: Cast.
A Co-Production with Portland Center Stage
By William Shakespeare
in a modern verse translation by Sean San José Directed by Rosa Joshi
Thomas Theatre
Rehearsals: 6/18/23-7/8/23
Tech: 7/9/23-7/26/23
Previews/Performances: 7/25/23-10/13/23
When civil unrest wracks Rome as the famine-ravaged underclass battle the ruling elite, a war hero
steps into the spotlight to serve his nation—only to turn on it and seek its overthrow. Shakespeare’s
rarely produced tragedy comes to visceral life in the intimacy of OSF’s Thomas Theatre, helmed by
visionary director and OSF Associate Artistic Director Rosa Joshi in a powerful, movement-focused
production featuring a cast of female and non-binary actors. Sean San José’s modern translation
brings the story to the forefront, illuminating Shakespeare’s themes of ambition and delicate
democracy that will particularly resonate during an election year.
Shares with: Much Ado About Nothing
Coriolanus/Ensemble: The ultimate soldier/warrior, uncompromising, strong masculine energy. Needs to bring emotional depth and vulnerability to a complicated difficult character.
Aufidius/ Virgilia/ Ensemble: AUFIDIUS – Leader of the Volsces C’s rival. Should be believable as a warrior - rougher around the edges than Coriolanus. VIRGILIA – Coriolanus’ wife, steadfast but also traumatized by having a husband who is constantly at war.
Volumnia/ Ensemble: Cast.
Menenius/ Ensemble: Cast.
Brutus/ Ensemble: A Tribune, ambitious, scheming, duplicitous.
Sicinius/ Ensemble: Cast.
Cominius/ Ensemble: A General, Former Consul of Rome. A decorated, respected military leader, levelheaded, loyal. But also, elitist.
Videos
