Coriolanus
by Walking Shadow Shakespeare
Feb. 02 - Feb. 20
This adaptation of Coriolanus will be set in the Early Texas Republic - mid 1800s. We are celebrating the rich immigrant culture that built this state and will be translating some portions of the text into different languages once the show is cast based on actor languages spoken. There will be heavy emphasis on live music and audience engagement.
Coriolanus Audition Details
Casting artists for a one rehearsal production of Coriolanus
Once you've read all the details, submit the audition form and submit your video or sign up for a time slot at our live zoom auditions.
Important People / Dates / Locations
Blocking, dramaturgy, character work, costuming, etc will all be done through google sheets/forms/docs. We will have two full cast read throughs on Zoom (one in late March to create a line-learning resource for actors and one in May to check line and character progress) and 1-2 one-on-one character meetings through zoom, each. Beyond that, you will be free to get together in groups or with the director to chat, run lines, etc, but there will be no other scheduled formal rehearsals. This is a fully memorized and blocked performance, not a staged reading.
This production format is not for everyone, and may seem intimidating, but please know the team will offer all the support we can through the process, and the goal of this is to have fun in a whirlwind weekend of Shakespeare.
Casting
This will be a 20 person cast, character breakdowns below. Please note that gender presentation of all characters is open except where noted explicitly. We encourage actors of all genders to audition for the roles that speak to them and can change pronouns in the text.
Who We’re Looking For
No previous experience with Shakespeare is required, we are ultimately just looking for a solid artist who is ready to experiment, play, and build a beautiful story. We are especially interested in seeing bilingual/multilingual actors for this show as well as musicians/singers.
Our ideal artist is:
- interested in exploring the text and characters on a deep, analytical level
- excited about and comfortable with audience engagement
We encourage actors of all races, genders, sizes, abilities, and ages to audition.
The Audition Process
For this show, each actor will receive a $100 honorarium.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to email info@walkingshadowshakespeare.com
Once you've read all the details, submit the audition form and submit your video or sign up for a time slot at our live zoom auditions.
Important People / Dates / Locations
- Director: Andrew Menoza, Dramaturg: Demian Chavez Galvan, Producer: Steph Crugnola
- Auditions: accepting video submissions until 10pm on Friday Feb 20. Live zoom audition block Sunday Feb 15, 12 - 2 pm central
- Rehearsal: Saturday May 23 (9 am - 6 pm) location TBD
- Performance: Sunday May 24 (7 pm) Pease Park
Blocking, dramaturgy, character work, costuming, etc will all be done through google sheets/forms/docs. We will have two full cast read throughs on Zoom (one in late March to create a line-learning resource for actors and one in May to check line and character progress) and 1-2 one-on-one character meetings through zoom, each. Beyond that, you will be free to get together in groups or with the director to chat, run lines, etc, but there will be no other scheduled formal rehearsals. This is a fully memorized and blocked performance, not a staged reading.
This production format is not for everyone, and may seem intimidating, but please know the team will offer all the support we can through the process, and the goal of this is to have fun in a whirlwind weekend of Shakespeare.
Casting
This will be a 20 person cast, character breakdowns below. Please note that gender presentation of all characters is open except where noted explicitly. We encourage actors of all genders to audition for the roles that speak to them and can change pronouns in the text.
- Caius Martius Coriolanus - a Roman general. He has led Rome to many victories, but he is not great with people. He also has disdain for the lower classes which lead eventually to his exile from Rome. (note: toxic masculinity is a core tenet of this character and will be highlighted. This does not mean the actor needs to be male presenting, as long as they are comfortable portraying masculine energy)
- Tullus Aufidius - a Volscian general. Coriolanus’ greatest rival, but he’s never beaten Coriolanus and the tension between them is palpable.
- Menenius - a Roman patrician who relies on his wit and speeches to sway the plebeians.
- Brutus + Sicinius - Roman tribunes elected by the plebeians to serve as their representative, clever politicians, they work together to keep Coriolanus out of power
- Cominius + Lartius - Roman patricians and noblemen who serve as generals against the Volscians - tight with Coriolanus
- Volumnia (femme presenting) - a Roman noblewoman - Coriolanus’ mother. She raised her son to be a warrior and encourages his battles
- Virgilia (femme presenting) - a Roman noblewoman - Coriolanus’ wife. She is not enthusiastic about Coriolanus' fighting, and is at odds with Volumnia about it.
- Valeria (femme presenting) - a Roman noblewoman, a friend of Virgilia and Volumnia
- Young Martius - Coriolanus and Virgilia’s son
- Plebeians, Conspirators, Patricians, Romans, and Volscians - members of the public who are fighting for representation in government and used in the battle between their two factions
- 2 swings - swings will be given half of the tracks to cover each. They will be expected to understand the character emotional arcs and expectations through the show, but will not be required to memorize lines for all their covered characters. If an actor drops with sufficient time to learn the lines, we will ask that they do so. Swings will be incorporated into all plebeian/crowd scenes so are guaranteed to be on stage even if they're not called up to step into a role.
Who We’re Looking For
No previous experience with Shakespeare is required, we are ultimately just looking for a solid artist who is ready to experiment, play, and build a beautiful story. We are especially interested in seeing bilingual/multilingual actors for this show as well as musicians/singers.
Our ideal artist is:
- interested in exploring the text and characters on a deep, analytical level
- excited about and comfortable with audience engagement
We encourage actors of all races, genders, sizes, abilities, and ages to audition.
The Audition Process
- Complete the audition form
- Submit your video audition or sign up here for a live zoom audition slot on Feb 15.
- Your video submission should contain two contrasting monologues - this contrast should show a wide range of what you offer as an actor beyond the typical comedic/dramatic split. Think in terms of physicality, voice, age, status, etc.
- At least one monologue must be from Shakespeare - some suggested pieces are provided with video explanations here. Your second can be another Shakespeare/verse piece, a modern monologue, or a song that showcases your performance and personality. In this virtual process, we want to see as much range as you have to offer.
- Monologues do not need to be fully memorized, but we do not want to see that you are reading - please learn the piece enough to be free of the screen.
- To submit, upload your video to Google Drive and share it with info@walkingshadowshakespeare.com or upload it to youtube and share the unlisted link in an email to info@walkingshadowshakespeare.com.
For this show, each actor will receive a $100 honorarium.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to email info@walkingshadowshakespeare.com
