<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><b style="">Mahoning
Valley Players</b>
announces
<b style="">AUDITIONS</b> for <b style=""><i>KING LEAR</i></b> by William Shakespeare,
directed by Michael Dempsey. <br>
<br>
<i>KING LEAR</i> 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.<br><br>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.<br><br>AUDITIONS:<br><br>WHEN: Sun-Mon, April 5-6 @ 7:00 pm. Callbacks will be Thursday, April 9 @ 7:00 pm.<br>
<br>
WHERE: Infinity Dance and Performing Arts. <span style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">7050
Market St Suite #102, Boardman, OH 44512<br></span><br>PERFORMANCES: One weekend, Friday-Sunday, July 10-12<br>
<br>
REHEARSALS will begin in mid-May, and run (generally) Sun-Thurs evenings. <br>
<br>
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:<br>
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.<br>
<b><br>
NOTE: ALL ROLES ARE OPEN AT THIS TIME.<br>
<br>
</b><i>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.<br>
<br>
</i><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">ABOUT THE PLAY:<br>
<i>King Lear</i> 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, <em><span style="border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0in">King
Lear </span></em><em><span style="border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0in;font-style:normal">is epic,
personal and universal, with themes that are as important today as they were
when it was written.<br>
<br>
</span></em></span>ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: <i><br>
</i><em><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0in;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;font-style:normal">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.<br></span></em><b><br>
CHARACTERS:</b><i><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0in;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"></span></i></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail-textline"><b><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">King Lear </span></b></span><span class="gmail-textline"><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">(late 70s-80s)<br>
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.</span></span><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Cordelia </b>(20s-30s)<br>
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. </span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail-textline"><b><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Goneril </span></b></span><span class="gmail-textline"><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">(40-50s)<br>
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.</span></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="gmail-textline"><b><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Regan </span></b></span><span class="gmail-textline"><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">(40s-50s)<br>
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. </span></span><span style="color:rgb(28,38,61);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Kent </b>(40s-50s)<br>
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. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Gloucester </b>(50-70s) <br>
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. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Edmund</b> (30s-40s)<br>
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. </span><br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Edgar </b>(30s-40s)<b><br>
</b>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. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Fool </b>(25-70s)<br>
Lear’s jester. The Fool uses double-talk and seemingly frivolous songs to criticize
Lear for the latter’s foolish mistakes. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Albany </b>(40-55<b>)</b><br>
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. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Cornwall</b>—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. </span> <br>
<br>
<span class="gmail-textline"><b>Oswald </b>(30-40s)<b><br>
</b>The steward, or chief servant, in Goneril’s house. Oswald obeys his mistress’s
commands and helps her in her conspiracies.</span></span><br>
<br>
<b>King of France</b> (30-40s)<b><br>
</b>Cordelia’s suitor and then husband. Masculine, strong and eminently
capable. May be doubled with other roles.<br>
<br>
<b>Duke of Burgundy </b>(30-40s)<b><br>
</b>Cordelia’s second suitor. Rejects Cordelia when Lear advises that there
will be no dowry. May be doubled with other roles.<br>
<b><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);letter-spacing:0.1pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><br>
Ensemble</span></b><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);letter-spacing:0.1pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><br>
To play Old Man, Knights, Gentlemen, Servants, Messengers, Doctors, Captains,
Herald, Attendants and peasants of the realm.</span><br>
<br><br>For questions or more information, please contact the director at <a href="mailto:demzer@gmail.com">demzer@gmail.com</a> or call 330-397-3667.<br><br>
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