A Thousand Times Goodnight is coming to my hometown. Check out audition infoz below:
A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT
An Elizabethan-style Comedy
AUDITIONS: May 16, Saturday, 12:00pm to 4:00pm
CALLBACKS: May 23, Saturday, 4:00pm to 7:00pm
May 24, Sunday, 12:00pm to 3:00pm
PAY: $50
REHEARSALS: June 19 to July 29 (4 Nights or fewer per week)
PRODUCTION DATES: July 30, 31, August 1, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17
A Thousand Times Goodnight is a verse comedy inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights. It follows the story of Scheherazade as she attempts to tame the furious and foolish Sultan of Persia, who responds to infidelity by vowing to wed a different woman each night and execute her the following morning. Scheherazade must navigate the Sultan’s temper, manipulative courtiers, and her own father in order to save her nation and herself. Written in five acts and borrowing heavy inspiration fromTaming of the Shrew, Love’s Labours Lost, and Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Thousand Times Goodnight endeavors to promote reason over impulse, and talk over violence.
MATERIAL TO PREPARE: Audition slots are 2 minutes long. Please prepare one verse monolog. A second monolog of any kind is welcome (though not required), so long as the total audition time remains under 2 minutes.
CAST (each actor plays at least two roles)
Scheherazade (F): A maiden of Persia (one of few left) whose strident demeanor gives her a shrewish reputation. She volunteers to wed the Sultan in order to spare other maidens the same unfortunate fate. She is an intelligent, articulate, strong-willed young woman who is capable of both gentility toward those who are rational, and passionate argument against those who are irrational.
SIMILAR TO: Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), Margaret (Henry VI), Mistress Ford (Merry Wives of Windsor)
Sultan Shahryar (M): The ruler of Persia. After being betrayed by his first wife, the Sultan vows to take a new bride to bed each night, then execute her the following morning. Although a frightening figure on rare occasion, he is at heart a friendly, disarming, and almost childlike man who’s strayed down a very dark path.
SIMILAR TO: Bottom (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Master Ford (Merry Wives of Windsor), Caesar (Julius Caesar)
Vizier Jafar (M) (Please Note The Vizier has already been cast): The Sultan’s adviser and Scheherazade’s father. He is capable of framing lyrical and cogent arguments in support of wise policies, but lacks the emotional conviction to repair the Sultan’s broken heart, nor can he convince the monarch to abandon his vendetta against womankind. Jafar is first and foremost a gifted logician and public speaker. He also plays Ad Avis the evil sorcerer.
SIMILAR TO: Bishop of Canterbury (Henry V), Polonius (Hamlet), Prospero (The Tempest)
Dinyzade (F): Scheherazade’s younger sister. She is excitable and easily distracted, and her monologs leap from theory to personal anecdotes with little warning. Although not the equal of her sister, she is sharper than she portrays herself to be. A young clown role. She also plays Aladdin.
SIMILAR TO: Launce (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Lancelet (Merchant of Venice), Mote (Love’s Labor’s Lost)
Clown (M): A ‘clever clown’ role. He throws out puns but also makes subversive critiques of the Sultan, and even speaks a revolutionary ranting soliloquy. Quick-thought and immense energy are critical. This role is especially open to cross-gender casting.
SIMILAR TO: Feste (Twelth Night), Speed (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Thersites (Troilus & Cressida)
Governess Alma (F): Manager of Persia’s orphans, Alma is overwhelmed of late by women de-maiden-ing themselves in order to evade the Sultan’s bed. She and Shah Zaman scheme to take over the realm. She also plays Aladdin’s genie.
SIMILAR TO: Adriana (Comedy of Errors), Lady MacBeth (MacBeth)
Shah Zaman (M): The Sultan’s Brother and ruler of a nearby region. His people have expelled him, and now he worries the same may happen to Shahryar. He and Alma scheme to take over the realm. He also plays the King of Thieves.
SIMILAR TO: Master Ford (Merry Wives of Windsor), MacBeth (MacBeth)
A Thousand Times Goodnight is a coproduction between The Unrehearsed Shakespeare Company (www.unrehearsedchicago.com) and director Jared McDaris (www.jaredmcdaris.com).
CONTACT INFO: To reserve and audition time, please email a Headshot and Resume, along with your preferred audition time and any audition conflicts, tounrehearsedchicago@gmail.com.
REPLY TO EMAIL: unrehearsedchicago@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.unrehearsedchicago.com