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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Jul 26 2010, 12:50 PM EDT (current) | JordanMorris | 20 words added, 2 words deleted |
| Jul 13 2010, 12:52 PM EDT | JordanMorris | 37 words added, 15 words deleted |
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 February 2011 ADAPTED and DIRECTED by BERNARD HOPKINS PRODUCED and DESIGNED by JORDAN MORRIS and SIGHTHOUND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY THE LONDON COMMUNITY PLAYERS The production team for The Duchess of Malfi is continuing to search for actors in hopes of securing the perfect combination of talent to execute Mr. Hopkins vision of this inspiring and difficult play. Recently "First Round" auditions took place on July 9-10-11. The "Second Round" auditions are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. The exact dates of this round of auditions are not yet set. We expect Mid August at this point as we cannot expect our first round candidates to wait indefinitely. We will collect requests to read until Aug.early 1,August, 2010 and then organize the finer details shortly afterward. We will give all the warning possible and remain as flexible as we can. If you want to see us, then we want to see you. Don't miss out on this incredibly rewarding opportunity. Each candidate will be asked to read a short monologue of their choice and also an excerpt from our script. We have selected an excerpt for each of the characters that are available for this round. Please read the character descriptions (listed below). We have included our ideal ages with each character description. Actors need not match these descriptions exactly, but it should be important to note what we are looking for. When you contact us to arrange an audition you will be asked to select one of the 9 roles listed. This project is in pre-production now but will enter active production for actors in October of 2010 (final date TBD) and will play to the public in February of 2011 at The Palace Theatre in London, Ontario, Canada. Why so much time? Please read on. PERTINENT INFORMATION: Each actor will be provided the rare opportunity of being first trained and then directed by Bernard Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins has served as Artistic Director of Theatre London (1980-1983), Theatre Lennoxville, and Head of Drama at the Banff Centre (1984-1987). He has enjoyed twenty-two seasons with the Stratford Festival. His work includes Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (three times), Head of the Young Company (1989-1992), plus Director and Actor. The training provided would include workshops featuring high-profile instructors, several of whom are currently on staff at The Stratford Festival. The actors will also be featured in a documentary film, which will be capturing as much of the process in bringing this unique and challenging script to the stage as possible. The film will be focused on this particular production, but it will also be an exploration of the psychology and motivations of anyone who engages in regional theatre projects. “Why do we do this and what do we hope to achieve, both personally and as a community?” *IMPORTANT NOTICE* Anyone auditioning for The Duchess of Malfi must be prepared to sign a waiver giving the production team permission to film any or all of their time spent working on the production (including the audition itself) and acknowledging that all such footage will become the sole property of the production team. Plans for release of the final film are being negotiated, but it could become a festival film, or a Canadian TV broadcast depending on it's final configuration and run time. You can read the waiver / release form in it's entirety here: Jordan Morris will be involved as both Production Designer and Producer of the stage production and Director of the documentary film. Jordan most recently directed and designed “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” (Iglesias Productions) which was considered a particular standout of the London regions 2009 theatre season. It was his work in that production which attracted the attention of Mr. Hopkins. Jordan’s oft-creative partner, producer John Iglesias will produce the documentary film and support Jordan's efforts with the stage production. ABOUT THE SCRIPT: The Duchess of Malfi (Originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy) was written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612-13. It was originally performed at the Blackfriars Theatre, and then moved to The Globe to be enjoyed by a broader audience. The play is based loosely on true events that occurred between 1508 and 1513 recounted in William Painter’s “The Palace of Pleasure” (1567). The Duchess was born Giovanna d’ Aragona and was married at age 12 and widowed at age 19. Her father, Arrigo d’ Aragona, Marquis of Gerace was an illegitimate son of Ferdinand I of Naples. Her husbands were Alfonso Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, and (as in the play) Antonio Bologna. The play begins a love story, with a Duchess who marries beneath her class against the wishes of her controlling brothers, and ends a tragedy as the brothers exact their revenge, destroying themselves in the process. The script has been adapted by Mr. Hopkins himself and reduced from five acts to two. The cast has also been reduced in size. (a complete cast of characters can be found on our First Round Audition Notice page) The play is sometimes criticized for the excessive violence and horror of its later scenes, but the complexity of its characters, poetic language and timeless themes continue to make it of interest to theatre companies and audiences to this day. Our final cast will need to be comfortable with horror, sexuality, acts of violence and nudity. THE ROLES STILL AVAILABLE FOR AUDITION: ANTONIO (Male, 20-30 years old) Antonio is the steward of the Duchess of Malfi’s estate and later her secret husband. His honesty and good judge of character are characteristics well known to the other characters in the play. He accepts the Duchess’ proposal of marriage because of her disposition, rather than her beauty. His status, being lower than that of the Duchess, complicates their relationship even further. Their marriage has to remain a secret, leaving him without the title or money of the Duchess. Click here to read the audition excerpt for Antonio DELIO (Male, 20-35 years old) A friend of Antonio, traveler, scholar and past lover of Julia (who would still be so if he had his way). Within the play, he is often employed as the “voice of reason” and is even assigned the scripts final line of dialogue. Click here to read the audition excerpt for Delio DUKE FERDINAND (Male, 25-30 years) Duke of Calabria, and twin brother to the Duchess. Unlike his rational brother, Ferdinand is given to fits of rage and emotionally violent outbursts. He is victim to what Freud in the nineteenth century called “family romance”. During the play, an obsession with his sister quickly becomes a perverse disease that destroys him. As the play unfolds he surrenders to madness and his condition broadens to include all manner of delusion. Click here to read the audition excerpt for Duke Ferdinand . 8 SUPPORTING PERFORMERS (Male and Female, 18 to 40 years old) The supporting performers will play a critical role in creating our world as both human characters (including “the madmen” and the “doctors”) and also as more abstract "environmental elements" (details of which will only be made available to those who are selected). Experience or interest in mask work, puppetry, choral speaking and movement will be an advantage. Additional individual parts will also be allotted to these players subject to our final choices and their available skills. Click here to read the audition excerpt for supporting roles NOTE: If you feel that you are a serious candidate for any of the other 5 principal roles not listed here (visit the First Round Auditions page to see a complete character list), then by all means send in your information to the address below. If your photo, artistic attributes and resume compel us to investigate you as an additional option before making our final decision, we will ask you in as well. OTHER AVAILABLE POSITIONS: STAGE MANAGER: (Experience preferred) We are looking for a real taskmaster who enjoys the work required to keep a big machine like ours running smoothly. You will be expected to be on hand throughout the entire production process and support the efforts of both Mr. Hopkins and Jordan Morris. Once the run begins, the Stage Manager will become a critical part of the performances and experience in the Palace Theatre space would be an advantage. Although this posting is near the bottom of the page, make no mistake- this position is at the top of our list. We need the best! PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS (No experience necessary) Our team will also be in need of volunteers to help with all kinds of work behind the scenes. Stage experience is not necessary. We are interested in people who are focused and organized problem solvers who can keep their cool under pressure. This will be a very complex show and we will need help keeping everything on track and in it's proper place! ARTISTS AND FABRICATORS (experience required) We love to work with artists from other communities. In our previous production, "The Last days of Judas Iscariot", we called upon several fine artists and designers from London to craft the environment and properties that our actors performed with each night. Each costume, prop, set piece and detail of every kind will be treated like a work of art that must stand up to scrutiny as an individual work of art. We love to create and we love working with other artists who feel the same way! When each tiny detail is given this much attention and respect, imagine the incredible energy assembled when it's all brought together during performances! If you are - or know of - someone who would like to create a piece of the artistic tapestry that will become our production of "The Duchess of Malfi", then please contact us ASAP. The design phase is just beginning now. You could be involved, have a hand in shaping this production and even be featured in the documentary film! It's a very unique experience and excellent exposure for artists of all kinds! CONTACT INFORMATION: please contact Jordan Morris at the following email address to reserve an audition space or for more information. Please specify which role or position you are most interested in. We would appreciate a resume and headshot for this round of auditions send to: thesighthound@gmail.com Thank you for your time and interest! When we have received a minimum amount of requests, we will contact everyone with the final details. We hope to see you there! |   I am very pleased to report that our "first round" of auditions went extremely well and that we are really impressed with the calibre of actors that read for us. People came from all over to spend a few minutes with Mr. Hopkins in hopes of catching his interest and taking part in the play. The eagerness, enthusiasm and commitment seen even in those short auditions was inspiring! Our Director is VERY encouraged and excited himself. Bravo to everyone. So...where do we stand? Although we have some very encouraging options so far, the cast puzzle is still missing key pieces. Understand that some of the casting will be done in "sets". For instance, The Duchess and Ferdinand are twins. Thusly we feel compelled to cast people who are not only capable performers, but also people who can actually look like twins and who can create a chemistry that would support that. And also understand that if we have several Ferdinand candidates that are all great choices to play the role, the one who best matches our Duchess will likely get it. Our Cardinal / Julia pairing will be cast similarly. There are several roles that won't be cast until we're sure that all of the attributes of our performers match the vision of our Director and his interpretation of this incredible script. Let's not mince words. Not everyone will be cast. And in some cases, skill level or commitment won't break the tie. Every detail must "look" right as well. This is the most complicated casting process I've ever been a part of and I'm certain of only this: we need to take our time. Don't forget that rehearsals won't even begin until October. Conversely, although we have what seems like lots of time, we want to get this done as soon as possible because we plan on treating the design phase a little differently than most. Often times a production will design the show and then simply install the actors within whatever choices have already been made. The risk is that some actors won't fit the designs and will be hamstrung or encumbered by the smallest infuriating details. By the time this is identified, it's too late and the performance suffers. Our team plans on designing all of the relevant details (costume, props, and even set pieces etc.) around our performers with the goal of enhancing everything they do for us on stage. Every detail of every step of every phase of this process will happen organically and will be designed to compliment the resources we have available. Including our wonderful cast. The following is not a promise and should not be taken as fact, but I see the next steps going something like this: We saw many more women than men this weekend and we have to correct that imbalance. We will now focus on bringing in more actors to create more options for us in regards to the younger male roles. Specifically candidates for Antonio, Ferdinand and perhaps even Delio. Then we will have some call backs. These may be one-on-one but they may end up being be much more interesting and unusual. We are now discussing callbacks in the form of group workshops that will allow us to explore chemistry and communication among various "sets" of people. It's not unheard of, but it's very rare to do that at an amateur level and in our community in particular. But that's what you get when you work with Bernard Hopkins. You get exciting opportunities. Only after we go through these or similar additional steps will be in a position to announce our cast. But make no mistake about it; we are well on our way and when we do reach that point, it will be very exciting indeed! Jordan Morris Producer / Designer: (stage production) Director: (film production) |
