Shit-Faced Shakespeare
by Magnificent Bastard Productions
Apr. 09 (2016)
An adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare with additional material by Lewis Ironside, Shit-faced Shakespeare by Magnificent Bastard Productions is the hilarious combination of an entirely serious Shakespeare play with an entirely shit-faced cast member. Side-splitting, raucous and completely interactive, the show has already entertained over 25,000 eager theatre goers across the UK, and now they have come to the states!
Shit-faced Shakespeare, presented by UK-based Magnificent Bastard Productions, crossed the pond in early 2015 for the US premiere of their completely interactive production of A Midsummer Night's Dream an entirely serious production with an entirely drunken cast member. Yes, you read that correctly. Drunk and 100% legal. Every performance includes one genuinely drunken professional actor, selected at random - making no two productions ever the same. This raunchy and magnificent bunch of friends has been presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Austin since January. Having successfully completed multiple sell-out runs of the Edinburgh and Brighton Fringe Festivals, and a hugely popular run in Boston, Shit-faced Shakespeare settled into the Spider House Cafe and Ballroom. While Shit-Faced Shakespeare US checks off Boston and Austin in 2016, UK actors will be gearing up for their West End production this spring. The US has seen its fair share of mega-theater imports from the UK but not on the fringe scene. “Having spent ten years in London, working as an actor and producer - I’m thrilled to be able to bring one of the hottest comedies from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the states,” says Gabriel Kuttner, producer of Shit-faced Shakespeare.
Previous productions have featured highlights such as partial male nudity, ill-fated crowd surfing, transvestitism, simulated sex acts, unconsciousness, partial female nudity, Justin Timberlake impressions, actual acts of a sexual nature and ‘battle yodelling’. All presented within the confines of one of the finest works in the literary canon.
Magnificent Bastard Productions US, the force behind the long-running Shit-Faced Shakespeare is seeking: 4 Non-Equity professional actors who will be playing multiple roles in an abridged Shakespearean comedy (2 male and 2 female). In addition to acting ability, we are looking for performers who have a great personality, are adept at handling classical text, are skilled and funny improvisers, really enjoy a drink, are tremendously pleasant drunks and work excellently as part of a cast of high quality, professional performers.
Roles:
Type 1 - Young lover (M/F, Ages 21+, All Races & Ethnicities) Think Lysander or Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream & Claudio or Hero from Much Ado About Nothing. Must have availability in April, May, and June 2016.
Type 2 - Emcee / Prologue (M/F, Ages 21+, All Races & Ethnicities) Think the Emcee from Cabaret, Puck from Midsummer, or Chorus from Henry V. Improv and audience interaction experience required. Must have availability in April, May, and June 2016.
Audition Requirements: Please prepare a 1-2 minute Classical comedic monologue, be prepared to read from sides, and to be asked for improv work.
Performance Dates: April - June (with possibility of extending)
Rehearsals: April - May intermittent with performances.
Compensation: Performers will be paid $50 - $75 per performance.
Run: Friday and Saturday nights (7pm) April 8 , 2016 - June 30, 2016 (with possible added shows on Thursdays or Sundays).
Please apply only if you have availability for the vast majority of the above dates and are comfortable with ALL aspects of the show. We are only interested in seeing people who are able to fully commit to our very unique show and who respect the care we take to ensure the safety and health of our cast, crew and audience. We are seeking performers of diverse ethnicities who are over the age of 21, with valid ID.
You will be joining an extant cast. Personality is a big part of our audition process. To give you an idea of what sorts of magnificent bastards you will be joining, here is the current cast’s response to the question: “What kind of drunk are you?”
“I'm a storyteller. Once I get started, it's tough to slow me down.”
“Smiley and Giggly and Huggy”
“Passionate people pleaser- you could convince me that eating my left arm is a good idea.”
“Loud and eccentric”
“Frenzied Enabler”
“Affectionate. I'm a happy drunk, fond of physical contact, in love with everything and everyone.”
“I make other people sing with me and I get very loud and dramatic/touchy feely”
“I’m a lovely one. Everyone is my favorite person in the world”
This actor passed out naked and was unable to respond.
“Fantastic and amazing. Super naughty. Also I sing a lot.”
Auditions will be held April 9th with callbacks and some overflow audition availability on the 10th.
Please send your headshot, resume, and audition availability that weekend to shitfacedshakes@gmail.com with the following subject line: "SFS - ATX AUDITION SUBMISSION - [YOUR NAME HERE]."
