The Concord Players Announce Auditions for

Directed by Michelle Leibowitz
Music Direction by Kathryn Denney
 with
Stage Combat Director — Chris Cardoni
Intimacy Director — Kat Alix-Gaudreau

All actors must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. (To review our complete COVID-19 policy and precautions, click here.)

Synopsis: Young Will Shakespeare has writer's block. The deadline for his new play is fast approaching, but he's in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse... the feisty, brilliant and beautiful Viola. This crafty young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms, inspiring him to write his greatest romantic masterpiece.

Auditions will be held at 51 Walden St., Concord, MA, on:

  • Sunday, November 10, 6:00–10:00 PM
  • Thursday, November 14, 7:00–10:00 PM

Actors will be seen in groups of up to 10, by appointment only: to reserve your place in a 30-minute appointment slot, please use our signup form below. Auditioners should prepare and memorize their favorite Shakespeare monologue or sonnet; it should be one minute in length.

(If you are having trouble finding a monologue or sonnet, you may reach out to our director at sil-director@concordplayers.org, and she will be happy to help you)

See the Character Descriptions below for more details.

Callbacks will be held on Sunday, November 17, starting at 6:00 PM, at 51 Walden St. — actors, please reserve this date. Callbacks will consist of a singing, dancing and stage combat evaluation and cold readings from the script. Not everyone will be asked to do everything that night.

Rehearsals / Important Dates:

  • Rehearsals: Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7-10 PM, and Sunday evenings from 6-10 PM, beginning on Thursday, November 21. There are also Friday evening rehearsals on the first three Fridays in January.
  • Tech week begins on Sunday, February 9, 2025.
  • The week before tech week may also contain some tech.

There will be eight performances in February-March 2025, over three weekends:

  • Friday, February 14, at 8:00 PM
  • Saturday, February 15, at 8:00 PM
  • Sunday, February 16, at 2:00 PM
  • Friday, February 21, at 8:00 PM
  • Saturday, February 22, at 8:00 PM
  • Sunday, February 23, at 2:00 PM
  • Friday, February 28, at 8:00 PM
  • Saturday, March 1 at 8:00 PM

Please note that conflicts are not permitted on performance dates, nor for tech week, nor for the week before tech week.

To sign up for auditions, please complete our online form, below. Before you fill it out, please note the following:

  • Be ready to select a 30-minute appointment slot on one of
    Sunday, November 10 (6:00-10:00 PM) or Thursday, November 14 (7:00-10:00 PM).
    • If you cannot make any of these times, you will be able to select None of the above, and we will contact you to discuss an audition time.
  • Be prepared to upload your resume and headshot (when you receive a confirmation email for your signup):
    • Resume: PDF format is preferred, but most any document type will do (no image files, please).
    • Headshot: If you do not have a headshot, a front-facing picture of your head or head and torso, with just yourself centered in it, is acceptable. JPEG or PNG format is preferred, but any image format will do. (no PDF files, please).

    • Instructions for uploading your files will be in the confirmation email sent to you when you sign up.

If you have any questions, or if you have a conflict with the audition dates, send an email to the staff at sil-staff@concordplayers.org

Character Descriptions

Concord Players is committed to diversity and inclusion. As such, we encourage performers of all races and ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, and abilities to audition. We also recognize that these characters are written on the binary (use he/him or she/her pronouns) and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with.

Please note: We will not be casting anyone under the age of 18 in any role, due to the mature content in the show.

Note: The age ranges below represent the ages that the actor can portray on stage, not the actual age of the actor.

  • Playwrights

  • Will Shakespeare (30-40): Poet and Playwright.

  • Kit (Christopher) Marlowe (30-40): Will’s colleague, friend, and inspiration.

  • The Rose Theatre

  • Henslowe (40-60): Owner and manager of the Rose Theatre.

  • Fennyman (40-60): Producer.

  • Lambert and Frees (25-35): Fennyman’s accomplices and henchmen.

  • Ralph (30-40): An actor who plays Nurse and Petruchio.

  • Nol (30-40): An actor who plays Benvolio and Samson.

  • Robin (30-40): An actor who plays Lady Capulet.

  • Adam (25-35): An actor who plays Gregory and Benvolio.

  • John Webster (18-25): A street urchin who aspires to be an actor.

  • Wabash (40-60): A stammering actor and Henslowe’s tailor.

  • The Admiral's Men

  • Ned Alleyn (30-40): The lead actor of the Admiral’s Men; plays Mercutio.

  • Peter (25-35): An actor who plays Tybalt.

  • Sam (18-25): An actor who plays Juliet.

  • The Chamberlain's Men

  • Burbage (30-40): The lead actor and owner of the Curtain Theatre.

  • The Palace

  • Queen Elizabeth I (50-60)

  • Edmund Tilney (40-60): The Lord Chamberlain.

  • The DeLesseps House

  • Viola De Lesseps (20-25): Disguises herself as Thomas Kent to audition to be an actor; Robert De Lesseps’ daughter.

  • Nurse (40-60): Servant to Viola.

  • Sir Robert De Lesseps (40-60): Viola’s father.

  • Lord Wessex (40-60): A nobleman betrothed to Viola.

  • Ensemble Members / Singers / Dancers / Attendants

  • Ensemble: A group of actors who will play the following roles, grouped by scene. Some actors will take on more than one role.

    • The Tavern: Barman, Molly and Kate (barmaids at the tavern), Waitstaff (waiters and waitresses)
    • The Admiral's Men: other Actors
    • The Chamberlain's Men: other Actors, Burbage's two Heavies
    • The Palace: Mistress Quickly (wardrobe mistress at Whitehall Palace)
    • The DeLesseps House: Catling (a guard), a Boatman, two other Guards

  • Singing Ensemble: There are some musical numbers with vocals, and we will select a group of singers from the ensemble to perform in them.

  • Dancing Ensemble: There are several Balls that occur and we will select a group of good movers from the ensemble to dance during these scenes.

 

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