[NEohioPAL] AUDITIONS for KING LEAR directed by Michael Dempsey

[Michael Dempsey]

*Mahoning Valley Players* announces  *AUDITIONS* for *KING LEAR* by William
Shakespeare, directed by Michael Dempsey.

*KING LEAR* will be staged July 10-12 at Youngstown State University’s
beautiful Ford Theatre in Bliss Hall, in association with YSU’s 2020
Festival of the Arts.

NOTE: ALL ROLES ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME.   An Equity Guest Artist Contract is
possible for the role of Lear. A travel stipend may be available for actors
traveling longer distances.

AUDITIONS:

WHEN:  Sun-Mon, April 5-6 @ 7:00 pm. Callbacks will be Thursday, April 9 @
7:00 pm.

WHERE: Infinity Dance and Performing Arts. 7050 Market St Suite #102,
Boardman, OH 44512

PERFORMANCES: One weekend, Friday-Sunday, July 10-12

REHEARSALS will begin in mid-May, and run (generally) Sun-Thurs evenings.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Bring a 2-minute classic monologue (preferred) or be prepared to read from
the script. Head shots and resumes are preferred. Be prepared to list your
rehearsal conflicts.



* NOTE: ALL ROLES ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME. *

*Actors of all ethnicities, ages and gender identities may audition, as
well as performers with disabilities. Character ages listed below are as
suggested by the text. Actors auditioning for King Lear should be in their
50s-? but be able to play the appropriate age. *ABOUT THE PLAY:
*King Lear* stands like a colossus at the center of Shakespeare’s
achievement as the grandest effort of his imagination. In its social range,
it encompasses a whole society, from king to beggar, and invites us to move
in our imagination between a royal palace and a hovel on a bare heath. Its
emotional range extends from the extreme of violent anger to the tenderest
intimacy of loving reconciliation. Offering some of Shakespeare’s greatest
and strongest characters for both men and women, *King Lear *

*is epic, personal and universal, with themes that are as important today
as they were when it was written. *ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

*Michael Dempsey was trained at the National Theatre of Great Britain’s
Summer Acting Programme (Shakespeare) and workshopped at the Royal
Shakespeare Company, two of the most respected classical theatres in the
world. He has over 30 years’ experience as an actor and director.*
* CHARACTERS:*

*King Lear *(late 70s-80s)
The aging king of Britain and the protagonist of the play. Lear is used to
enjoying absolute power and to being flattered, and he does not respond
well to being contradicted or challenged. At the beginning of the play, his
values are notably hollow—he prefers his two older daughters’ obvious
flattery over the actual devotion of Cordelia, and he wishes to maintain
the power of a king while unburdening himself of the responsibility.
Nevertheless, Lear inspires loyalty in subjects such as Gloucester,
Kent, Cordelia, and Edgar, all of whom risk their lives for him.

*Cordelia *(20s-30s)
Lear’s youngest daughter, disowned by her father for refusing to flatter
him. Cordelia is held in extremely high regard by all of the
good characters in the play—the king of France marries her for her virtue
alone, overlooking her lack of dowry. Cordelia remains loyal to Lear
de- spite his cruelty toward her, forgives him, and displays a mild and
forbearing temperament even toward her evil sisters, Goneril and
Regan. Despite her obvious virtues, Cordelia’s reticence makes her
motivations difficult to read, as in her refusal to declare her love for
her father at the beginning of the play.

*Goneril *(40-50s)
Lear’s ruthless oldest daughter and the wife of the duke of Albany. Goneril
is jealous, treacherous, and amoral. Shakespeare’s audience would have been
particularly shocked at Goneril’s aggressiveness, a quality that it would
not have expected in a female character. Goneril challenges Lear’s
authority, boldly initiates an affair with Edmund, and wrests military
power away from her husband.

*Regan *(40s-50s)
Lear’s middle daughter and the wife of the duke of Cornwall. Regan is
as ruthless
as Goneril and as aggressive in all the same ways. In fact, it is
difficult to think of any quality that distinguishes her from her sister.
When they are not egging each other on to further acts of cruelty, they
jealously compete for the same man, Edmund.

*Kent *(40s-50s)
A nobleman of the same rank as Gloucester who is loyal to King Lear.
Kent spends
most of the play disguised as a peasant, calling himself “Caius,” so that
he can continue to serve Lear even after Lear banishes him. Kent is
extremely loyal but gets himself into trouble throughout the play by
being exceptionally blunt and outspoken.

*Gloucester *(50-70s)
A nobleman loyal to King Lear whose rank, earl, is below that of duke. The
first thing we learn about Gloucester is that he is an adulterer, having
fathered a bastard son, Edmund. Gloucester’s fate is in many ways parallel
to that of Lear: he misjudges which of his children to trust. Also like
Lear, Gloucester suffers tremendously for his mistakes.

*Edmund* (30s-40s)
Gloucester’s younger, illegitimate son. Edmund resents his status as a bastard
and schemes to usurp Gloucester’s title and possessions from Edgar. He is a
formidable character, succeeding in almost all of his schemes and wreaking
destruction upon virtually all of the other characters.

*Edgar *(30s-40s)
Gloucester’s older, legitimate son. Edgar plays many different roles,
start- ing
out as a gullible fool easily tricked by his brother, then assuming a
dis- guise as a mad beggar to evade his father’s men, then carrying his
impersonation further to aid Lear and Gloucester, and finally appearing as
an armored champion to avenge his brother’s treason. Edgar’s propensity for
dis-guises and impersonations makes him a complex and at times puzzling
character.

*Fool *(25-70s)
Lear’s jester. The Fool uses double-talk and seemingly frivolous songs
to criticize
Lear for the latter’s foolish mistakes.

*Albany *(40-55*)*
The husband of Lear’s daughter Goneril. Although Albany allows Goneril, Regan,
and Cornwall to abuse their power, Albany himself is good at
heart, eventually denouncing and opposing their cruelty and treachery. Yet
Albany is indecisive and lacks foresight, not realizing the evil of his
allies until quite late in the play.

*Cornwall*—The husband of Lear’s daughter Regan. Unlike Albany,
Cornwall is domineering,
cruel, and violent, and he works with his wife and sister-in-law Goneril to
persecute Lear and Gloucester.

*Oswald *(30-40s)
The steward, or chief servant, in Goneril’s house. Oswald obeys his mistress’s
commands and helps her in her conspiracies.

*King of France* (30-40s)
Cordelia’s suitor and then husband. Masculine, strong and eminently
capable. May be doubled with other roles.

*Duke of Burgundy *(30-40s)
Cordelia’s second suitor. Rejects Cordelia when Lear advises that there
will be no dowry. May be doubled with other roles.

* Ensemble*
To play Old Man, Knights, Gentlemen, Servants, Messengers, Doctors,
Captains, Herald, Attendants and peasants of the realm.


For questions or more information, please contact the director at
demzer at gmail.com or call 330-397-3667.
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