A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Show synopsis:

Four young Athenians are in a romantic tangle. Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia; she loves Lysander and her friend Helena loves Demetrius. Hermia’s father, Egeus, commands Hermia to marry Demetrius, and Theseus supports the father’s right. All four young Athenians end up in the woods, where Puck, who serves the fairy king Oberon, puts flower juice on the eyes of Lysander, and then Demetrius, unintentionally causing both to love Helena. Oberon, who is quarreling with his wife, Titania, uses the flower juice on her eyes. She falls in love with Bottom, who now, thanks to Robin Goodfellow, wears an ass’s head. As the lovers sleep, Robin Goodfellow restores Lysander’s love for Hermia, so that now each young woman is matched with the man she loves. Oberon disenchants Titania and removes Bottom’s ass’s head. The two young couples join the royal couple in getting married, and Bottom rejoins his friends to perform the play.

Audition and show information:

Rehearsals will begin on January 22. The rehearsal schedule will be provided in advance of the first rehearsal based on performer availability.

The production runs March 8- March 30th, with performances Thursday – Saturday at 8pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. No conflicts with performance dates will be permitted.

All performers are guaranteed a $100 honorarium to cover the costs of transportation for rehearsals plus a $15 honorarium per performance. Note that this is strictly a non-union production.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, December 10 from 7-10pm and Monday, December 11th from 7-10pm. Please prepare a 1-2 minute Shakespeare monologue.

To be considered, please submit this form: https://form.jotform.com/233157141024040 The audition form collects your personal information — including any known conflicts with the rehearsal dates. Only the director and members of the creative team will have access to your submission materials.

WHILE AUDITIONING IN PERSON IS PREFERRED, YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT AN AUDITION VIDEO IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO ATTEND AUDITIONS.

Callbacks will be held on Sunday, December 17th from 7-10pm. We’ll release actors as soon as possible. Auditions and callbacks will be held at Coronado Playhouse.

If you have any questions not answered in this announcement, you may email audition@coronadoplayhouse.com

Character breakdown:

Coronado Playhouse is committed to inclusivity, and encourages ALL members of our community to submit, particularly members of communities who have historically been excluded or underrepresented — including but not limited to artists of color, Native American and Indigenous artists, women, non-binary and gender non-conforming artists, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists with disabilities.

CASTING NOTES: Only adults over the age of 18 will be considered. All roles require strong comedic instincts and some roles may be asked to participate in physical comedy and physical contact with others (ie: hand holding, hugging, kissing and combat)

​​While the character breakdown notes “male” or “female” for some roles, all trans or non-binary performers are encouraged to submit for any role they find compelling and that they feel aligns with their gender presentation.

Please be advised that we are looking to include a dog in our production as a part of the Mechanicals.

Please include in your submission if you play an instrument and/or would consider yourself a mover or dancer.

Theseus/Oberon
Male. 26-50
Commanding presence. Excellent speaking and movement skills; needs sense of authority, sexual presence, ability to be goofy when necessary. Should have an edge of danger but also needs to be compassionate and capable of forgiveness. Both men come from paternalistic, authoritative ways of thinking and of ruling. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Hippolyta/Titania
Female, 26-50
Both are strong, formidable women. Titania is the more poetic of the two; and must possess strong speaking and movement skills as well as a sense of authority, sexual presence, and be able to be silly when called upon to do so (must be adolescently smitten by Bottom when he is transformed into an ass); protectress of the Changeling Child and loyal to her court. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Puck/Philostrate
No preferred gender, 18+
Needs to be youthful with excellent speaking and movement skills. There’s a sense of mischief who can’t quite get their orders right, easily distracted, loves stirring things up. Philostrate is more constrained and committed to doing their job well; parallels Puck in that they serve a King and Queen.

Hermia
Female, 18-25
To play late teens-mid twenties; smaller of stature than Helena;, romantic, poetic, idealistic and feisty; more of a dreamer than Helena, more likely to end up living in a Parisian garret than Helena; bold enough to take matters into her own hands, defy her father (and the Athenian law), and run away to the woods with the man she loves, excellent speaking and movement skills. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Helena
Female. 18-25
To play late teens-mid twenties; taller than Hermia, smart–and a real problem solver, always countering Demetrius with an answer or a solution; works tirelessly to overcome obstacles along the path to true love, operates from her head more than she does from her heart (though her heart is clear, pure, and true) but also bold and feisty; excellent speaking and movement skills. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Lysander
Male, 18-25
To play late teens-mid twenties; of the two young men, the more poetic and romantic; the more likely to become an artist, actor, or poet, might end up living in a Parisian garret; believes that the course of true love never does run smooth, and that he and Hermia–like all lovers of legend and history–are destined to be together because theirs is already a bumpy path; not a practical thinker; excellent speaking and movement skills. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Demetrius
Male. 18-25
To play late teens-mid twenties; of the two young men, the more rigid and uptight, the more likely to end up a stock broker on Wall Street; the guy dad and mom would choose; certain sense of entitlement; capable of cruelty, but also learns forgiveness late in the game. Excellent speaking and movement skills. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Nick Bottom
Any gender, 18+
The central figure in the subplot involving the craftsmen’s production of Pyramus and Thisbe. Bottom dominates their fellow actors with an extraordinary belief in their own abilities, their love for the theatre and and their comical incompetence. The humor surrounding Bottom often stems from the fact that he is totally unaware of his own ridiculousness. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Francis Flute/Thisbe/Cobweb
Male, 18+
To play late teens-late twenties; as Flute, the youngest of the Mechanicals, more of a boy, a bellows-mender by trade, an inexperienced actor, and very apprehensive about playing a girl (Thisbe) in the play within the play; as Cobweb, strong, and playful, protective of Titania, mistrustful of Oberon and Puck. Good speaking skills, excellent movement skills with the potential for singing. Please note, there’s potential for physical intimacy with this role.

Snug The Joiner/Lion/Peasblossom
Any gender, 18+
Snug is a cabinet maker, very shy, and an inexperienced actor, does not want to frighten the audience with their impersonation of a lion in “Pyramus and Thisbe”; as Peasblossom: strong, and playful, protective of Titania; mistrustful of Oberon and Puck. Good speaking skills, excellent movement skills with the potential for singing.

Starveling the Tailor/Moonshine/Moth
Any gender, 18+
Starveling is a tailor, and probably more of a precise fuss-budget than the other Mechanicals, concerned with detail, getting things right, and although not an experienced actor, wants to appear in “Pyramus and Thisbe” in a really good costume. As Moth: strong, playful; protective of Titania; mistrustful of Oberon and Puck. Good speaking skills, excellent movement skills with the potential for singing. Will work alongside a live dog.

Tom Snout the Tinker/Wall/Mustardseed
Any gender, 18+
Tom Snout is a Tinker (pot and pan repairman) by trade, an inexperienced actor, not a terribly adept memorizer of lines. As Mustardseed, they may be the most acrid of the supernatural attendants to Titania; strong, and playful; protective of Titania; mistrustful of Oberon and Puck. Good speaking skills, excellent movement skills with the potential for singing.

Peter Quince/Egeus
Any gender, 30-50
A carpenter and aspiring playwright, leader of the Mechanicals (and, apparently, the Athenian amateur theatrical troupe), patient and caring; kind, shy, and retiring, especially compared and contrasted to their leading actor, Nick Bottom. Good language skills; excellent comic instincts; warm and endearing. The role is potentially doubled with Egeus.

Egeus
Male, 35+
Egeus is presented as an overbearing and controlling father who is a product of his environment within the patriarchal system of Athens, where he is a courtier to the Duke, Theseus. Hermia’s wish to marry her one true love Lysander means nothing to Egeus, who is determined to see Hermia wed his choice of suitor and refuses to let his daughter defy him. The role is potentially doubled with Peter Quince.