Shakespeare in the Woods 2024 Summer Season
About the project
Roberto Di Donato, dir.; Jess Slaght, dir.; Katharine Maness, prod. artistic dir.
Casting
Northeast and New England-based actors for roles in Shakespeare in the
Woods’ 2024 Season. The season includes "Macbeth" and "Twelfth Night,"
or, "What You Will," in repertory. The season will be one of dichotomy;
honing in on the themes of gender spectrum and the binary, desire and
jealousy, authenticity and illusion, belief and fate, and more.
Shakespeare in the Woods (SitW) is an outdoor theatre company
experimenting with Bard's canon through a modern, radical, and
gender-expansive queer lens, based in Manchester, VT. Visit www.shakespeareinthewoods.org to learn more.
Seeking
actors (18+) of all genders, ethnicities, races, sizes, and abilities,
with a strong handle on Shakespeare's language and verse to build a
dynamic company of 9 performers for the season.
Production
states: "We will specify if there are any criteria for a character
relating to gender, race and/or ethnicity, ability, age, or physicality.
SitW is a company that disrupts the traditional gendered and binary
casting in the canon. We believe there is a richness of opportunity in
intentionally and mindfully looking at Shakespeare’s work through a
gender-expansive and queer lens in the here and now. We heavily
encourage trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive folks to submit for
any and all desired roles. Any gender specificity stated in the
breakdown reflects the gender expression of the character, not the
actor.
We invite actors to bring the fullness of their lived
experiences and identities into the shaping of the plays’ worlds. We
approach casting conscious of the real world systemic dynamics affected
and reflected in our storytelling when deciding to put specific actors
in specific roles."
Roles in this project
Collapse All RolesCharacters: The Weird Sisters (Any gender, any age)- Three supernatural entities who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Fierce and playful. Drag and gender punk are encouraged.; Lady Macbeth (Any gender, 20s-40s) - Macbeth's partner, later Queen. Determined and tenacious. Experienced at putting on a facade. Their mental state deteriorates over the course of the play.; Macduff (Man, 30s-60s) - A nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s rise from the start. He eventually becomes the leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth.; Banquo (Any gender, the 30s-40s) - Macbeth's friend and a noble general whose children, according to the witches prophecy, will inherit the throne. Smart and strategic, but charming and good-hearted.; Fleance (Any gender, 20’s): Banquo's child. Escapes the assassination attempt that kills Banquo.; Duncan (Man, 30s-60s) - A beloved King. Traditional and perhaps overly-secure. Is killed in his sleep by Macbeth.; Malcolm (Any gender, 20s) - Duncan's child, heir to the throne. Flees when Duncan is killed, but returns later with an army. Note: Actors may also play other nobles, soldiers, Lady Macduff and her son, murderers, porters, etc.
- Acting Techniques: Shakespeare Training
Characters: Duke Orsino (any gender)- Duke of Illyria, in love with Olivia, even though she does not return their admiration. They are romantic and speak in elevated emotional language.; Viola (woman, disguised as a man, 20s)- Viola is Sebastian’s twin sister, Shipwrecked in Illyria and alone, she takes on the disguise of Cesario and serves Duke Orsino. Throughout the duration of the play she finds that she is in love with Duke Orsino, who all the while tries to win the heart of Olivia.; Sebastian (man, 20s)- Sebastian is Viola’s twin brother who gets mistaken for the disguised Viola (Cesario) while in Illyria. Because of their similar looks, Sebastian woos Lady Olivia, not knowing that she has fallen for his sister Viola. Note: Potential for track to include Captain and Fabian.; Olivia (any gender) - A woman of noble birth. Following the loss of her father, she also loses her brother right before the start of the play. Grief-stricken, she has refused to see anyone who does not reside in her household and declared that she will be in mourning for seven years making it extraordinarily difficult for Duke Orsino to express his love for her. She falls in love with Viola who is disguised as Cesario, bringing in a comedic and complex web of love.; Sir Toby Belch (any gender)- Olivia’s uncle who loves to party and drink. He holds Sir Andrew Aguecheek close to him, but does not have many friends. He is smart and witty, knowing how to play people at the right time.; Sir Andrew Aguecheek (any gender)- A wealthy guest in the home of Olivia. He is dim-witted, vain, and clownish and because of that he has been attached to Sir Toby’s hip. They get drunk together and party all through Olivia’s mourning period.
Note: Potential for track to include Captain; Maria (any gender, 20s-30s)- Maria serves Olivia. She is smart and her sharpness is the catalyst for forging a letter to Malvolio from Olivia, and in doing so sets the stage for their imprisonment. Note: Potential for track to include CURIO.; Feste/Clown (any gender, any age)- The royal jester for Olivia. Sometimes Feste is described as a clown and is extremely fond of wordplay. They are skilled in the art of wit, preferably cast with an actor who is familiar with clown/Lecoq techniques.
- Acting Techniques: Shakespeare Training
Dates & Locations
Virtual rehearsals begin July 8 (Mon.-Fri.); in-person rehearsals begin July 22 (Mon.-Fri.); arrival travel to VT July 21; departure Sep. 9; previews Aug. 17-18; performances run Aug. 21-Sep. 8 (Wed.-Sun.); two additional senior student Friday matinees during the run and the potential for additional Sunday matinees at site-specific locations within the region. Note: All performances will be outdoors, and are rain or shine (with exception to extreme weather conditions).
Compensation & Contract
Note: Actors contract allows for 2 excused absences for schedule conflicts that are communicated to the Production Team in advance.
Key Details
For consideration, please email casting@shakespeareinthewoods.org
and include: a self tape with your favorite Shakespeare monologue or
scene work; max 2-minutes in length; tapes new and old welcome.
Additionally, submit a headshot and resume, and a cover letter that
shares:
If you’d like to be considered for additional work on Fight
Choreography (certified), Intimacy Choreography/Direction (certified),
or Sound Design/Composition
Any specific characters you’d like to be considered for
If
there are character genders you do not consent to be considered for. We
will never cast cis actors in TGNCNB roles, but want to ensure we
aren’t potentially considering TGNCNB actors for genders they do not
want to play.
Note: Callbacks will be scheduled for May 3-4 in
NYC, with limited virtual spots available on a case-by-case basis. The
deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. April 29.
