Fall Shakespeare 2009:
Registration Information about
Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter
The Play
Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter is a work in progress. It’s based on the notion from the movie,
Shakespeare in Love, that Shakespeare was working on a romantic comedy when he got distracted by a woman and wrote
Romeo and Juliet, instead.
We are writing it. By "we" I mean the Voyagers Shakespeare Company and those who choose to participate in the writing with us!
The goal is to create a Shakespearean play with the look, feel, and sound of something the Bard might have created (if not on his best day).
The play will include tragic, comic, and romantic aspects. It will be set in Verona, predominantly, though Mantua or another locale may fit in, as the play develops. Besides Romeo, of the Montague family, and Ethel, likely characters include his family, her father, prominent Verona personae, and Rosaline, the object of Romeo’s unrequited love at the outset of Romeo and Juliet.
Is Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter for You?
So you want to join the company - that’s great! Here is a list of skills and attitudes we think you need, or need to strive for.
Are you capable of:
- reading fluently, OR do you have significant adult support to read the play and learn lines;
- reading Shakespeare aloud fluently if you are interested in a major role;
- writing blocking and production notes in your script, OR do you have an adult available to write your blocking and notes?
Are you willing and able to:
- take direction;
- contribute ideas;
- reach for your best;
- experiment;
- interact productively with fellow actors, backstage folk and the production team;
- observe basic safety guidelines without a fuss;
- be polite;
- consider other people's feelings;
- trust that other people will consider your feelings;
- be dependable;
- be a good role-model;
- offer suggestions kindly;
- be physically and mentally present at rehearsals;
- learn, learn, learn;
- memorize lines promptly;
- work until goals are met;
- love the hard work; and
- be genuinely interested in being part of the production?
Is your family willing to:
- get you to Voyagers promptly when you are needed for rehearsal;
- abide by Voyagers' transfer-of-oversight rules (this is not a drop-off program);
- help keep any visiting siblings not involved in the play happy and busy;
- support your efforts to work on your part at home;
- choose a volunteer production position that excites them;
- work backstage during tech week, dress rehearsals and performances;
- help strike the set at the end of the run; and
- enjoy the cast party along with you?
Josh, Liz, and Lynn will be working from the same skills and attitudes lists. As we ask you to be dependable, we will be dependable. As we ask you to consider other people's feelings, we will consider yours. As we ask you to work hard, we will work hard. And so forth, although we don't promise to learn all of your lines.
Company Size and Casting
We will be working with a single cast, rather than double-casting. Given this, plus our four month rehearsal period, we are aiming for a company of not more than 30 actors, with as many as 6 more company members dedicated to tech and backstage work. If more people register than this, we will develop a method for choosing our company members. To the greatest extent possible, our goal is a range of ages and a cast that’s balanced in terms of gender. In general, we will choose company members in the following way:
- Past Shakespeare company members who have shown they have the skills outlined above, have challenged themselves artistically, and have memorized lines promptly, will be given preference.
- Participants whose skills match the company’s needs will be given preference.
Girls' Parts/Boys' Parts: Shakespeare's language is part of our linguistic heritage as speakers of English, and it belongs to all of us. It's often the case that more female people audition than male people, and that's as true at Voyagers as it is in theater more generally. We want to work with you to produce the best, most interesting and exciting work we all possibly can, with the people that we have. You should audition for the roles you want.
Workshops: Six Sessions of Theatrical Work and Play
For information on the Workshops, jump here:
Workshops: Six Sessions of Theatrical Work and Play
Show Us What You’ve Got!
We are interested in any performing skill(s) you have. Can you turn cartwheels? Dance the hula? Speak a real or imaginary language fluently? Stand perfectly still for long periods? Play the banjo? Make a really scary face? Show us what you’ve got!
Yes, there will also be more traditional auditions, with specific speeches to be read. People may also try out for a purely musical role, playing an instrument on which they have substantial expertise. Musicians will be needed for somewhat fewer rehearsal hours than actors, but should still expect to be at many, many rehearsals.
All actors will be asked to demonstrate their singing range and tone. We’d also like to hear from any actors who are also instrumentalists. This is not just for actors who want a role that includes singing or playing, but are required for all performers. If you are particularly shy about doing this in public, you may ask for a private hearing. Anyone seeking a role that requires singing must be prepared to sing publicly. That’s what a play is, after all!
Backstage folks, please make an appointment with Josh for one of these two days to talk about how you see yourself participating behind the scenes. We’ll also schedule the a specific time for each person's performance skill(s)/music try-out and acting try-out - more details on that in September.
Rehearsals
In general, rehearsals are scheduled for
Thursdays, 9:00 - 12:00 and Mondays, 3:15 - 5:15.
Monday rehearsals in October and November will be for scenes or scene sections that require only a small group of actors. You
should not expect to be required to attend each Monday during the first two months. All actors, designers and crew heads
should assume they will be called on Thursdays once rehearsals begin.
A nearly full list of rehearsals for October and November, including the
actual scenes to be rehearsed each day, should be available during the Workshops. Thus, each character will know which Monday rehearsals she or he will need to attend. We'll publish a list of Monday scene rehearsals for December by November 2. The rehearsal dates themselves are already on the Voyagers wiki calendar; a detailed rehearsal calendar will be on these pages in September.
Pick-up rehearsals, especially for long or difficult speeches by leading actors, may be scheduled at the mutual convenience of those actors and the directors. These could be for a few stolen minutes during their Coop Day, or for an hour after coop. Yes, Shakespeare can be difficult, but it’s also awesome. We know you can show us the magic, and we are prepared to work with you until it’s great. Even if you can’t imagine adding an extra bit of rehearsal each week, we still want you to audition for any of the more challenging roles in the play.
See the Schedule Overview for the few rehearsals not scheduled for Thursdays or Mondays. Just to make sure you saw this in up front -
there will only be nine days of true Winter Break for those involved with Romeo and Ethel. Families with winter travel plans should check the schedule very, very carefully. Production dates are
January 8–10 and 15-17, 2009.
The Script
Because we are writing our own script, we are not as tightly bound as a production usually is. While we expect to have a working script by early September, it will not be etched in granite. During the Workshops period and, to an extent, during the early rehearsal period, there will be sessions to discuss possible changes.
The working script will be available on the Voyagers' wiki site when the Workshops begin. You’ll be able to print the whole script, or just individual scenes. More on that in September.
*
Over the summer, please read Romeo and Juliet, or have it read to you if you aren’t up to reading Shakespeare alone. It provides both the flavor of Shakespeare’s style and Romeo’s character. Do be sure that it is unabridged and in Shakespeare’s language. If you finish that and are looking for more, we suggest
Two Gentleman of Verona and then any other Shakespeare. Beyond that, Christopher Marlowe’s
Dr. Faustus might be a good piece. (We prefer that you avoid Gilbert and Sullivan.)
The Fees
The fee to participate in this production is $75 for a Voyagers member or $150 for anon-Voyagers member. There is also a fee for participating in writing the play of $5 for members or $10 for non-members. Beyond these fees, there may be other costs to a family associated with the production. In addition to the suggested copy of Romeo and Juliet, you might get a copy of Two Gentlemen of Verona. And you will probably end up printing at least one copy of the script, as it can’t be bought!
The cost of tickets for family members to see the performance are a further expense, although there will be some form of discounted tickets for company members’ immediate families. Ticket prices will probably remain the same this year.
Actors will be responsible for providing their own makeup, except base, which is provided by the company. That’s because you don’t need that much base, and it can be shared without risk of infection.
We haven't designed the overall look of the production yet, or what, specifically, the costumes will look like--that's part of what we'll be doing together! It's possible that in addition to family-supplied footwear, some characters may be wearing leotards, jazz/yoga pants, paper-mache lobster claws, gauze wings, purple facial hair, clothes made of sandpaper, etc. Some of that (probably the leotards or jazz/yoga pants) may be clothes you can buy separately and keep if you'd like to. Alternatively, the company can pay for these items and add them to the costume cache. Just bear this in mind as a possible additional expense, and talk to us if it's worrying you.
How to register for Fall Shakespeare
After reading all the pages about this year's production, please go here to register:
MyRCRegistration
Staff Bios for Fall Shakespeare
Who are we, anyway? For staff bios, jump here:
Staff Bios for Romeo and Ethel
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JoshShaine - 19 Jun 2009