
Auditions for The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson at Triton College.
Synopsis:
Discover Shakespeare in this modern dynamic play! Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn't have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell, John Heminges, and their friends, we would have lost half of Shakespeare's plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor Will Shakespeare, a group of actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They'll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done! Amidst the noise and chaos of Elizabethan London, THE BOOK OF WILL finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know!
Characters:
We're seeking a cast of ten actors who will each hold a primary role and a few doubled smaller roles. We are seeking diversity in age, gender, ethnicity, and ability - Shakespeare is for everyone! Actors are welcome to audition for characters whose gender or other lived experience is different from their own.
HENRY CONDELL - (he/him) feisty, hopeful friend and actor in the King's Men.
JOHN HEMINGES - (he/him) reasonable friend and financial manager of the King's Men; owner of the Globe Tap House; a good man, a gentleman, serious.
ELISABETH CONDELL - (she/her) Henry's wife, savvy and fun. Also plays EMILIA BASSANO LANIER, an Italian feminist poet.
REBECCA HEMINGES - (she/her) John's wife, a good wife. Strong, busy with their grocery business, a woman who has weathered much but loves her husband and sons and God. Also plays ANNE HATHAWAY SHAKESPEARE.
ALICE HEMINGES - (she/her) John's daughter and alewife, knows everyone and hangs with the boys. Also plays SUSANNAH SHAKESPEARE.
RICHARD BURBAGE - (he/him) seasoned lion of the stage, famous across England, loud and proud. Also plays WILLIAM JAGGARD - Successful if shady publisher of books, plays, and playbills.
BEN JONSON - (he/him) Poet laureate of England, friend/rival of Shakespeare. Also plays SIR EDWARD DERING.
ED KNIGHT - (he/him) "Stage manager" for the King's Men, self-serious and particular. Also plays ISAAC JAGGARD - Sensitive, an artist at heart.
RALPH CRANE - (he/him) Humble scrivener of the King's Men. Quick, sure, quiet. Also plays a BARMAN and FRANCISCO.
MARCUS - (he/him), Printing Apprentice, nosy but honest. Also plays BOY HAMLET and BERNARDO.
Audition Date: Wednesday, February 5 (or by video submission)
Callbacks: Tuesday, February 11
Location: Triton College's Cox Auditorium (J Building)
2000 5th Ave, River Grove, IL 60171
Rehearsals: Rehearsals will be in person at Triton College on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-9:30pm and Saturdays from 1:00-5:00pm, with some actor-coaching over Zoom based on actors' needs. The rehearsal period starts on Tuesday, February 18, and runs through tech week. We can build the rehearsal schedule to accommodate pre-existing schedule conflicts.
Tech: Tech week will be Thursday, April 10 to Thursday, April 17. On weeknights, tech is 6:00-10:00 pm. On Saturday, April 12, tech will be 11am-8pm, with a lunch break. Sunday, April 13 will be a DAY OFF.
Performances: Evenings of Friday, April 18, Saturday, April 19, Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26
Please prepare one of the monologues below or prepare any one-minute monologue of your choice. We recommend being memorized, but if you need to be "on book" for the audition, that's all right. You may audition in person on Wednesday, February 5, or submit a video audition. In person auditions will be the night of Wednesday, February 5, in the Auditorium in the J Building at Triton College.
Callbacks: If you are called back for a role, please arrive at the J Building on Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30pm, and be prepared to read scene from the play (not memorized) that will be provided that night with fellow actors.
Suggested monologues:
BEN: William. Bloody. Shakespeare. I read everything. Hamlet, Lear,
Romeo and What's-Her-Name. I'd only ever heard the plays, seen them,
never ... been alone with them. How did he know those things so young? How could he? Of course I knew him. I was with him the day before he ... he died. I was there and I could've ... He was drinking with me, he was out with me. We gorged ourselves, we fought, we
drank, we drank more. I could've sent him home. I didn't. Out from the
Stratford pub hot and drunk, and he steps outside and falls asleep in the
snow. I find him half an hour later, and he's - I miss him. I miss the fight, I miss the work.
The one we had and loved is gone. Yes, Yes, Yes, he lives on in art.
REBECCA: You gave up the stage, the stage you loved, the stage
that made you and made you alive, to make The King's Men great, and they
are, you are. That's why you have to do this. That book is ... it's you! Those
plays are you at your best! You gave up what you loved once, I won't let you
do it again. A theater is an empty thing. A theater you fill up. With words.Dammit John, that book is mine too. But those plays are not just yours and not just Will's and not
Burbage's, no, they're OURS and if they are lost to time, I'm sorry my love,
but that will be on your head. So you will do it. Yes, you will.
ISAAC: I want you to know that I saw every play that William Shakespeare ever wrote for the King's Men, which means I saw you both on stage countless times. And bought a few dozen apples from you over the years, Mistress Hemmings. I loved the plays and I loved you in them. My father is a bit of a dog, but I'm not. And despite his swagger, I run the shop now. And I want to publish these plays as they should be published. Cleanly. Rightly.
Contact Info:
Please sign up for an audition time using this Google form.
https://forms.gle/EQZU3goiPtTcKaNW7
Contact Adjunct Theatre Faculty member Iris Sowlat at iris.sowlat@gmail.com with any questions.
Website: forms.gle/EQZU3goiPtTcKaNW7