Audition Notice: "Romeo and Juliet"

"Romeo and Juliet"

by William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Paul Hurley
Original Music by Jeremy Bullock
Intimacy Choreographer: Caitlin Kane
Dance Choreographer: Jennifer Black
Fight Choreographer: Ryan Zarecki

Audition Information

When: November 30th through December 2nd – 6:00p-10:00p

Where: D-205, Kent Center for the Performing Arts

Signing up

Fill out and submit this (link to audition form) by Sunday, November 29th at 5 p.m. Please be prepared to upload a headshot (required) and performance resume (if you have one) through this form. At the end of the form, after submission, follow the link to sign up for a 5-minute audition slot. Be sure to sign up for the She Loves Me/Romeo & Juliet specific time slots.

What to Prepare:

1. Auditions are open to all Kent State students
2. For the initial audition, all Spring shows will be holding combined auditions.
3. For Romeo and Juliet, prepare a 1 – 2 minute monologue from a Shakespeare play. We’d love to hear the piece in your own natural voice and dialect. There’s no need to adopt a British accent or any other accent for the audition.

Callbacks: 

Friday, December 4 – beginning at 5:30 pm, Location TBD

For callbacks, actors will be given excerpts from scenes or speeches in the play to prepare and perform. Sides do not need to be memorized, but we encourage you to be familiar enough with the material to make strong acting choices, respond to your acting partners, and be prepared to take direction if/when offered. Some actors may be asked to sing.

Once you have completed the form, a link at the end will navigate you to the sign-up page. Please be sure to have a headshot and resume (if you have them digitally) ready to upload.

Auditions will be held in conjunction with auditions for the other spring production, She Loves Me. Directors and stage managers from all production teams will be present for your audition. You may audition for all productions (presenting a monologue and song) or choose to *only audition for the play or musical (presenting either a monologue or a song accordingly).

If you are only interested in auditioning for Romeo and Juliet, you do not need to prepare a song; only a monologue from a Shakespeare play is required.

*Please refer to the audition requirements for BFA MT students below.

ABOUT THE PLAY:

Summary:

Two families. A feud that has endured for generations. And despite it all, two young people find each other across the divide. As they struggle against forces beyond themselves, Romeo and Juliet becomes a story not only of love and loss, but of the devastating consequences of inherited conflict and the possibility of finding humanity where we have been taught to see only an enemy. One of the most produced plays in the history of theatre, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet continues to resonate with audiences.

You can find a copy of the full script of Romeo and Juliet here:

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-juliet/read/1/1/

Movement, Music, and Stage Combat:

Stage Combat

Several roles engage in stage fights, including Romeo, Benvolio, Abram, Balthasar, Tybalt, Sampson, Gregory, Mercutio, Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse, and Juliet.

Dance 

All actors will dance in the production. No formal dance training is necessary.

Singing

The actor playing Juliet will sing.

Notes on Casting:

From the Director: Actors are encouraged to audition for any role they feel comfortable portraying, regardless of gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and/or disability.

Content Notes: Murder; suicide and discussion of suicide; violence; grief and bereavement; familial abuse; sexual references and innuendos; forced marriage.

Suggested Character Action Disclosures:

Notes:

1. All intimacy and stage combat will be choreographed.

2. While the actions described here are included in the script, we are open to adjusting these actions to work within the actors’ boundaries, as long as the choreography still conveys the story of the scene as written.

3. Additional moments of physical contact / choreographed physical intimacy may be added to the staging, if the director and actors agree that it supports the story.

REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Rehearsals:

There will be one session prior to the beginning of rehearsals on either:

• Sunday, December 6 from 12 pm-4 pm OR
• Friday, December 11 from 6 pm- 10 pm OR
• Tuesday, January 19 from 6 pm-10 pm

Rehearsals will begin on February 15.

Week 1 – Feb. 15

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 6- 10 pm

Saturday (4 hours)

Week 2 – Feb. 22

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 6- 10 pm

Saturday (4 hours)

Week 3 – March 1

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 6- 10 pm

Saturday (6 hours)

Week 4 – March 8

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 6-10 pm

No Rehearsals during Spring Break – March 13 – 21

Week 5 – March 22

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 6-10 pm

Saturday (6 hours)

Week 6 – March 29

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 6- 10 pm

Saturday (8 hours)

Week 7 – April 5

*Tech/Dress begins Friday, April 9th, with a full tech day on Saturday, April 10th

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 6- 10 pm

Saturday 1:00-10:30 pm

Week 8 – April 12

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from 6-10:30 pm

PERFORMANCES

Thursday, April 15, 7:30 pm

Friday, April 16, 7:30 pm

Saturday, April 17, 7:30 pm

Sunday, April 18, 2:00 pm

Wednesday, April 21, 10:00 am and 7:30 pm

Thursday, April 22, 7:30 pm

Friday, April 23, 7:30 pm

Saturday, April 24, 7:30 pm

Sunday, April 25, 2:00 pm

ROLES:

All roles are open to actors of all gender identities, sexualities, races, ethnicities, and abilities.  We intend to cast across genders for some of the characters, and character genders, pronouns, and relationships will be adapted to reflect the identities of the actors cast.

Romeo and Juliet Character List:  

Please note that some actors will play more than one role, and some cast members will also understudy roles.  

ROMEO​​​​​​

LADY MONTAGUE, Romeo’s mother​​

BENVOLIO, Romeo’s kinsman

ABRAM, a Montague

BALTHASAR, a Montague

JULIET

CAPULET, Juliet’s father

LADY CAPULET, Juliet’s mother

NURSE to Juliet

TYBALT, kinsman to the Capulets

SAMPSON  

GREGORY

PETER

LUCIA

ESCALUS, Prince of Verona

PARIS, the Prince’s kinsman and Juliet’s suitor

MERCUTIO, the Prince’s kinsman and Romeo’s friend

FRIAR LAWRENCE

FRIAR JOHN

APOTHECARY  

FIRST WATCH  

SECOND WATCH

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS FOR B.F.A. MUSICAL THEATRE AND M.F.A. STUDENTS

“B.F.A. Musical Theatre candidates are required to audition for all theatre division main stage productions and accept roles if cast. Exemptions to the audition requirement may be granted under certain circumstances. Circumstances include but are not limited to: religious beliefs, moral objection, psychological triggers with the play, and physical concerns. In order to be exempted from the audition requirement, students must submit a written petition to the performance faculty prior to the beginning of the casting process for the production in question. The performance faculty will make a good faith effort to deliberate and come to a decision on the petition at the first performance area meeting after the receipt of the petition. At no point will a student be asked to disclose sensitive personal information.”

For information on all the B.F.A. Musical Theatre requirements please go to the following. https://www.kent.edu/theatredance/revised-requirements-bfa-musical-theatre-program

QUESTIONS OR ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS:

Please email the director, Paul Hurley (phurley1@kent.edu) with any questions or requests for accommodations.