Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - auditions

Name: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - auditions
Start: 2025-02-17T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2025-02-18T21:30:00-06:00
Location: Holdcraft Performing Arts Center

Schedule

Mon, 17 Feb, 2025 at 07:00 pm to Tue, 18 Feb, 2025 at 09:30 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Holdcraft Performing Arts Center | Michigan City, IN

ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD
by Tom Stoppard
Auditions Feb 17-18 7-930
Auditions will consist of some improv exercises (ie pretend to die, give me a good death scene), and cold readings from the script (both Shakespeare scenes, and Stoppard scenes)
Performances April 18-20 and 25-27
HOLDCRAFT PLAYERS
1200 Spring St, Michigan City, IN
Rehearsals Mon-Thurs 7-930

This is the story of two minor characters in Hamlet and what they get up to in between the scenes where they're talking to the other characters. The two friends banter, play word games and coin games, and interact with Hamlet, the king and queen, and the troupe of traveling players, trying to figure out what's going on and what their role in the story is ... before the inevitable end. Part comedy, part metaphysical musing on life, death and fate, this classic play by the author of "Shakespeare in Love" was adapted into a film and has enjoyed performances on stages around the world for decades.

GUILDENSTERN - The Analytical One. He attacks every problem with logic and an abundance of words, and is determined to figure out their path through this play they barely understand. He sometimes treats his friend as a little brother.
ROSENCRANTZ - The Emotional One. He's not exactly dumb, just more easygoing than his friend, more zen. Sure that everything will work out as it should. He follows where Guildenstern leads.
LEADING PLAYER - The Dramatic One. The head of the company of traveling players, he is more aware of the cyclical nature of life in the theatre, and the needs of drama. He has the air of one who knows a lot more about the fate of R&G than they do.
The Characters:
HAMLET - the brooding young man
CLAUDIUS - his murderous uncle, the new king
GERTRUDE - his mother the queen
POLONIUS - the aged advisor to the king
OPHELIA - the tragic young woman
*The Characters will be portrayed pretty much exactly as they are in every other production of Hamlet. They play it absolutely straight (except maybe Hamlet himself), like they're in a different play and we just catch glimpses of their production. If you've ever wanted to be in a Shakespeare play, this could be a good start, as you only have a couple scenes!
The Players:
Half a dozen actors in a traveling company, men and women of all shapes and sizes and ages. Technically, it should be all men, but I'm not going to worry about that too much. Primarily mimes and clowns, they won't have scripted lines, but will be free to ad lib here or there. They will enact scenes from Shakespeare's Hamlet in mime, as well as stand around looking comic, or menacing, depending on the moment. They too will just have a few scenes.
*Characters and Players will probably only be needed one night a week until we get close to tech week. I am open to some actors being both Players and Characters.

Script and/or audition scenes available on request. LET ME KNOW AND I'D BE HAPPY TO EMAIL YOU A COPY OF THE SCRIPT WITH MY CUTS, AND WHAT SCENES I'M USING FOR AUDITIONS.