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Dexter Community Players is thrilled to announce auditions for our upcoming production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead!William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most popular and beloved plays of all time… and poor Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can’t make heads or tails (or heads again and again and again) of any of it! While supposedly being Hamlet’s best friends, they have always been relegated to the background of the Danish Prince’s story- failing miserably at spying on their friend and being doomed to unceremonious, offstage deaths. But now, these two unlikely protagonists finally take center stage and they… have no idea what to do with it. Between flipping a coin that always lands on heads, playing rousing games of verbal tennis, and being pursued by an acting troupe as hapless as they are ominous, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two characters in search of meaning. Will they be able to save themselves from their fate? Or will they be stuck as casualties of someone else’s tragedy? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is Tom Stoppard’s masterwork of absurdity that dares to care about the people who don’t matter!
Directed by David Culliton
Assistant Directed by Jared Hoffert
AUDITION DATES: Monday, January 13th & Tuesday, January 14th from 7-9 PM. Creekside Intermediate School (2615 Baker Rd, Dexter, MI 48130)
CALLBACK DATE: Wednesday, January 15th at 7PM. Creekside Intermediate School (2615 Baker Rd, Dexter, MI 48130)
AUDITION SIGN UP: There will be 6 audition time slots per 30-minute increments each night. Walk-ins are welcome, but those with an audition sign up will be seen first. Please sign up for an audition slot here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EA8A92DA4FBC70-53832870-dcp
WHAT TO PREPARE: We ask that you prepare two contrasting monologues - one contemporary and one classical - that take no more than 3 combined minutes to perform. We are looking for comfortability with Shakespearean language.
You must provide a completed audition form and conflict calendar to your audition. Both forms can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rCHyjS0tgAucH6JRigVivq9Nz21UZRZ2/view?usp=sharing
CALLBACKS: Performers will be contacted after the conclusion of the second night of auditions if they are wanted for a callback which will consist of readings from the script. The selected excerpts that will be used for callbacks can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P-M-RLs6Df4mR31Bp0NxBgiapJZ48JGo?usp=sharing
SHOW DETAILS: The production will run March 13th- March 15th at HOMES Campus in Ann Arbor, MI.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS: We encourage performers of all races, ethnicities, sexualities, abilities, and ages to audition for any role (must be 18 years or older).
While most of the characters in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead are written as male, several of these roles will be open to actors of all gender identities and presentations. We encourage actors to audition for any gender-specific role based on how they feel most comfortable identifying/presenting.
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ROSENCRANTZ: Any gender. One of Hamlet’s best friends, allegedly. Focused primarily on the observable world around him, he often struggles to follow Guildenstern’s lofty ideas. He comes off at times as distracted, oblivious, and even a bit thick- he can’t even remember his own name! However, he is not stupid by any means and sometimes even proves himself more thoughtful and perceptive than his companion. He’s more outwardly emotional, but also quicker to accept reality. Needs strong comedic instincts and the ability to memorize a large volume of lines.
GUILDENSTERN: Any gender. One of Hamlet’s best friends, supposedly. An idealist and philosopher, he spends much of the play pontificating on the existential implications of what’s happening around him. While he often seems smarter and more grounded than Rosencrantz, all his philosophizing tends to read more as a coping mechanism than as true intellectualism. He’s prone to outbursts of frustration, his idealism can sometimes turn into delusion, and he ultimately struggles to accept his fate intellectually and emotionally. Needs strong comedic instincts and the ability to memorize a large volume of lines.
THE PLAYER KING: Male. The leader of the Tragedians. A deeply enigmatic character, he alternates between bombastic, bawdy, and brooding throughout the piece. Gleefully juvenile in one moment and grimly sage in the next, he’s commanding presence through and through. His role in the narrative is to highlight the inevitability of death, making him a sort of grim reaper figure that chases our heroes throughout the story. Will double as THE AMBASSADOR at the end of the play. Needs strong comedic instincts and the ability to memorize a large volume of lines.
HAMLET: Any gender. The Prince of Denmark and the star of, well, a different story. Here, he is the sly antagonist thwarting our protagonists’ attempts to actually impact the plot at every turn. With a bit of a punk-rock edge, he is undeniably cool. While most of his tragic depth stays offstage for this play, he is still a character with purpose who carries the weight of his situation with him. Speaks exclusively in original dialogue from Hamlet. Needs to have a strong sense of physicality.
CLAUDIUS: Male. The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the murderer of Old King Hamlet. His outright villainy is largely absent from this play, with his more banal, kingly schemes taking the spotlight. He sweeps Rosencrantz and Guildenstern up in what can almost be described as Aaron-Sorkin-style walk-and-talk scenes, thoroughly disorienting them every time. Speaks exclusively in original dialogue from Hamlet.
GERTRUDE: Female. The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, and Claudius’ wife. Like Hamlet and Claudius, her depth from the original play is eschewed here in favor of her role as a bustling, royal, procedural schemer alongside Claudius. Like the other Hamlet characters, however, she should be anything but unmotivated; she has a kingdom at stake and a family to hold together. Speaks exclusively in original dialogue from Hamlet.
OPHELIA: Female. A courtier of Elsinore, the daughter of Polonius, and a woman trapped in a tumultuous relationship with Hamlet. While she only has one line in this play, her presence is nonetheless affecting. Her torment at the hands of Hamlet jolts us away from two separate bumbling performances from the Tragedians, reminding us of the real pain that comes from being jerked around by a self-important “protagonist of reality.” Needs to have a strong sense of physicality.
POLONIUS: Any gender. Advisor to King Claudius. A beleaguered, troubled old courtier who’s trying help the King navigate family troubles while dealing with his own struggles as a single parent. A pawn who thinks he’s a knight, he never really grasps the gravity of the situation. Speaks exclusively in original dialogue from Hamlet.
ALFRED: Male. A member of the Tragedians. A pathetic, put-upon man who gets stuck playing all of the raunchiest female parts in the Tragedians’ plays. While often portrayed as a browbeaten twink, we welcome actors of all shapes and sizes to try their hand at portraying this lovable stooge. Will double as HORATIO at the end of the play. Needs a strong sense of physical comedy.
THE TRAGEDIANS: Any gender. A small, traveling troupe of actors. Fallen on hard times, their once prestigious repertoire has been all but replaced with dramatic prostitution. An eclectic bunch of performers trying to shake off the rust, their appearances throughout the play range from raunchy and inept to ominous and macabre. Will double as ELSINORE COURTIERS during the play. Need a strong sense of physical comedy. Stunts/tricks/minor acrobatics are welcomed, but not required.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Creekside Intermediate School, 2615 Baker Rd, Dexter, MI 48130-1534, United States,Dexter, Michigan
