We are excited to invite any and all to audition for Circuit Theatre Company's production of King John by William Shakespeare, directed by Circuit Associate Artistic Director Korey Pimental

Circuit has staged three readings this past year (Or, by Liz Duffy Adams, The Courage to Right Women's Wrongs by Ana de Caro, and 6th, or The Patriots by Hannah Benitez) and now we're ready to bring another of Shakepseare's histories to Chicago after staging Richard II in April 2024.

We are seeking 9 transformational actors with a strong passion for poetry and politics to embody the roles in a fiery, contemporary 90 minute cut of Shakespeare's oft overlooked King John. Almost all actors in the production will play multiple roles, but each track is rooted in a primary role that spans most of the play.

The first stage of auditions will consist of a video submission. Then, invited callbacks will be held on April 4th (5-9pm) and 5th (12-6pm) in Edgewater. You will not need to be available both days. But you will need to be available for at least 1 hour either day.

Audition Requirements: Should you wish to be considered for casting, please record a slate and video audition of a Shakespeare piece that:
- In verse
- No longer than 2 minutes
- Shows off your killer language/text skills

Compensation: For your work on the production, you will be guaranteed a stipend of $300.
Should the production exceed our ticket sales goal, you will be compensated with an additional share of the profits.

Submissions are due by MARCH 15th at 11:59pm CST

racks ('other' roles are subject to change, but the primary role of each trackT listed here will remain constant)

Any information listed in the breakdown below is meant to give a general sense of the character Shakespeare wrote. Circuit Theatre seeks to cast inclusively. Actors of the Global Majority, actors that are queer, actors that are trans/GNB/GNC, and disabled actors are strongly encouraged to audition.

TRACK 1: KING JOHN
Mercurial, cunning, paranoid, appealing, impulsive. Think Erik Killmonger in Black Panther meets Prince Charles in The Crown

TRACK 2: THE BASTARD
Wry, provocative, emotionally intelligent, charismatic, morally awake. Speaks truth to power, but only fully honest with the audience. Finn from Star Wars meets Josh Lyman from The West Wing

TRACK 3: CARDINAL PANDULPH/OTHERS
Cool, articulate, manipulative, spiritually weaponizing. Political power disguised as divine authority. Think Giancarlo Esposito in Breaking Bad meets Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes

TRACK 4: DAUPHIN / OTHERS
Youthful, thoughtful, charming. Power learned too early. Think Prince Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender meets Frank Abignale, Jr in Catch Me If You Can

TRACK 5: ARTHUR / OTHERS
Innocent, gentle, emotionally transparent, fragile. A kid turned symbol. Think Toussaint in Black Panther meets Gavroche in Les Miserables

TRACK 6: CONSTANCE / OTHERS (CAST - SEEKING U/S)
Ferocious, volatile, ambitious, brilliant, unapologetic. Love transformed into fury. Think Olivia Pope in Scandal meets Euripides' Medea

TRACK 7: KING PHILIP / OTHERS
Strategic, adaptable, calculating, performative. Morality is negotiable. Think Professor X in The X-Men meets Benny from Rent.

TRACK 8: ELEANOR/OTHERS
Commanding, sharp, maternal, politically ruthless. Legacy embodied. Think Helen Mirren meets Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder

TRACK 9: BLANCHE / OTHERS
Emotionally articulate, quietly resilient, politically trapped. Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy meets Carmen Sandiego