Casting Call for "The Dark Lady" Play

ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE ACCEPTED. Seeking performers for "The Dark Lady" play. More details are below. About the play: Emilia Bassano, known as the possible woman behind the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets, was actually one of England’s first female published poets. She was also trilingual, mixed race, and a force to be reckoned with. The Dark Lady collides these two poets together as they wrestle with artistic collaboration, ambition, envy and love. An entanglement that will profoundly shape both their lives and their work. The Dark Lady helps us understand and challenge our love of Shakespeare through Bassano’s lens. Additional information: Artists must be able to work locally in Calgary, AB (no travel or accommodation will be provided). Notes: The actor playing Emilia must visually convey the image of someone from a diaspora that has been othered, racialized and marginalized. Someone whose cultural and racial history and identity have not been centre stage historically. Ideally, she should have dark skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Because music is so central to the piece, the possibility of an Emilia that can also play the guitar, piano or lute is most welcome. It’s possible the historical Emilia Bassano had Sephardic, African, Arabic and/or Spanish lineage. She had a mixed race identity and Elizabethans referred to her musician cousins as Black men. The actor playing Shakespeare must be able to visually convey a sense of cultural, racial, ethnic privilege in his society. Though he comes from a small town, and has less education than he would have liked, he has unwittingly benefitted from the privilege of his sex, race and culture. Rehearsals begin September 11, 2023. Opens October 5, 2023. Closes October 22, 2023. If you are interested, please apply.