Casting Completed!

Casting is nearly complete for Summer Shakespeare’s 2009 production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. (We make the caveat of “nearly” because the part of Crab the dog is not yet finalized. More on canine negotiations in a future post.) See the Current Show page for full details. In case you ever wondered about how a play gets cast, here is a brief synopsis of Summer Shakespeare’s process:

The director selects a play, often based on the talent available. With Shakespeare plays, it is often necessary to decide the men’s roles first since there are usually more of them, and they are generally more substantial roles. With Two Gentlemen of Verona, there are two strong women’s parts, and these were actually cast first.

Auditions are held or invitations given. Summer Shakespeare has held auditions only once (for Comedy of Errors). Most often the director begins by asking previous cast members about their interest in playing a role. Sometimes cast members put their requests in a year ahead of time. After that, if there are still roles available, the director issues invites to actors he thinks might be interested.

Main roles are filled. The director considers type (physical, vocal, personality), training, ability to take direction, and dependability. With the short rehearsal schedule of Summer Shakespeare (about 4 weeks from first rehearsal to opening night), the cast must be very self-motivated. An additional consideration is whom the person will play opposite: will they complement one another in size, vocal quality, and look? After all, only so much can be done in a small venue with make-up and prosthetics. And did we mention that our actors must be easy to get along with? We figure we want to spend summer evenings with people we like!

Supporting roles are chosen carefully. Summer Shakespeare plays are meant to be accessible and fun, so it is important that those filling the comedic roles be first-rate. They must be animated, energetic, and possess a certain “presence.” And the actors playing opposite the clowns must be able to hold their own.

A play is born! Hopefully . . .

Who are some of your favorites actors from Summer Shakespeare? What do you like about this year’s casting?

Tags: casting, play, Two Gentlemen of Verona