Auditions for "Equivocation" (Stage Play)
Audition Dates: Sunday, December 3 at 3:00PM Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00PM CALLBACKS (IF NEEDED) BY INVITATION ONLY Synopsis Comedy/Drama. It is 1605 in England, and Robert Cecil, prime minister to King James I, commissions William Shagspeare to write a play about the recent Gunpowder Plot – an attempt to blow up the king and his court. The king simply requests that "Shag" add some flattering dialogue – and witches – to the plot. If Shag accepts the commission, and the play inadvertently offends the king, both playwright and players could lose their heads. Shag must decide to what degree he is willto equivocate about the truth, and how he can serve his king and still maintain his integrity, as an artist. This is a witty and poignant ensemble piece about the Bard, the creative process, and the risks of speaking truth.
6 roles
Male (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), late 40s-60s. William Shakespeare, shorted to “Shag” for Shagspeare, a contemporary spelling of the name. An absent father, a playwright who is passionate about theater, an actor, storyteller, and artist, Shag is a defiant seeker of truth, secretly desperate for a lasting legacy.
Richard (and Others) Male (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), late 40s-60s. Richard has been a friend of Shakespeare for decades and, as such, is accustomed to wrangling the artist into doing what needs to be done. He is calm, secure, resolute, and noble. Must be able to affect a limp as Macbeth.
Male (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), 30s-40s. Nate is the most level-headed and rooted member of the company; as Cecil, he is crippled, brilliant, Machiavellian, and oily. Must be able to affect a limp as Cecil.
Male (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), 20s. Sharpe is a handsome, gifted, arrogant, and temperamental actor, hungry to make his mark. Must be able to affect a heavy Scottish accent as James I. Shares a kiss with Judith.
Male (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), 30s-40s. Armin plays a host of roles throughout the play and must portray each character as distinguishable from one another. Must be able to affect at least a passing Scottish accent.
Female (cis, transgender, or nonbinary), late teens-20s. Judith is Shag’s daughter, a smart, sensible, unassuming, and observant young woman who is constantly cleaning up after her father and his band of misfits. Shares a kiss with Sharpe.
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