Flower power, doves and hawks, draft card burning, miniskirts, high society and counter-culture, and the Summer of Love will be the background for an upcoming production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by the Teen Company of New Britain Youth Theater.
The company will hold auditions for Romeo and Juliet on Monday, February 20, and Wednesday, February 22, at NBYT’s new studio space at the New Britain-Berlin YMCA Program Center at 362 Main Street in Berlin. Audition times both days begin at 6:00 p.m. Rehearsal days are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and some Thursday evenings.
Shakespeare’s teen tragedy about two feuding families will be performed on the grounds of the New Britain Museum of American Art on Thursday and Friday, June 22 and 23, and Sunday, June 25. An additional performance will be held on June 24 at Berlin Congregational Church. The production will be set in 1967 for the fiftieth anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” and it will be inspired by the popular culture, counter-culture, and political and social turmoil of that time.
Prior to auditions, free Audition Preparation Workshops will be held on Monday and Wednesday, February 13 and 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and also at 362 Main Street. Actors planning (or even considering auditioning) can attend either or both dates for audition tips and the chance to recite and receive feedback on their monologue prior to the auditions.
Auditions are open to 12 to 19 year-olds from any town, and a diverse cast with all levels of experience is sought. Those auditioning should prepare a 30 to 60-second Shakespeare monologue. Actors will also be given dialogue from the script to read at auditions. To register for auditions, call (860) 515-8115 or email auditions@nbyt.org. Those cast will be asked to pay a participation fee of $100. No one, however, will be turned away for inability to pay, so please ask about financial assistance if necessary. Teens may also call with interest in production and backstage positions.
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