Monday, 20 August, 2007

Parts are needed for all ages, upper elementary through adults. PCC welcomes community members as well as students in auditions. This large-cast play is set on an enchanted island, where Prospero holds power. His daughter Miranda falls in love with a ship-wrecked young man, who is the son of Prospero’s enemy. Magical creatures on the island include Caliban, an ignorant creature, unwilling to learn, and Ariel, a helpful sprite. Other parts on the island include sprites who act a play within the play: Iris (messenger of the gods), Ceres (goddess of fertility), and Juno (queen of the gods), and many other island-and-sea creatures. Those who come from the wrecked ship include Alonso (the King of Naples), his brother Sebastian, and Alonso’s son, Ferdinand. Other parts are Antonio (Prospero’s brother who had exiled him), an old and honest counselor of Prospero’s (Gonzalo), and the lords, Adrian and Francisco. Comic parts include Trinculo (a jester) and Stephano (a butler). Additional parts include the Master of the king’s ship, the Boatswain, and Mariners.

In this play, what commentator Roma Gill has called “a perfect work of the imagination,” Shakespeare created a fanciful tale of a magical world. As Shakespeare’s last play, it was his farewell to the London theatre scene.

Those who are interested in auditioning should bring a list of scheduling conflicts to auditions, since rehearsals and casting will be based on those. Most rehearsals are in the evening, Monday through Thursday beginning Sept 4, although there may be other practices, if actors have conflicts in scheduling. The play will be performed Oct. 25, 26, and 27 at 7:30 PM, with dress rehearsals starting the Sunday before the performances.

Also, those who wish to audition may want to check out a copy of this play from the library before the performance, just to be familiar with the story and the language.

Earlier publicity distributed by Pratt Music Theatre had announced that there would be a musical produced by PCC this fall, but PCC faculty had not yet selected the fall show at the time of that announcement.

For more information about auditions or about the play, please contact Rose Beilman at 450-2209.