Auditions for William Shakespeare’s

Much Ado About Nothing

Audition Dates: Sunday October 13 and Monday October 14 at 7:00 pm

Show Dates: February 13-16, 2025
**PLUS a required student matinee February 12 at 10a.m.**

Directed by Tom Liszka

Auditions for this Shakespearean rom-com will take place Sunday October 13 and Monday October 14 starting at 7 p.m. Auditions will be open in the ACT Rehearsal Hall unless a private audition is requested.

Actors must be available for all performances, including a student matinee at 10am on Wednesday February 12. Availability for rehearsals will be asked at auditions, please be prepared to list all conflicts from October 17 through November 1 as well as January 2 to February 16. While regular rehearsals will not begin until January, actors will be expected to be off book at the start of full rehearsals.

If you are unable to attend general auditions, please contact director Tom Liszka at TRL1@psu.edu before October 1 to arrange an alternate time.

Call-backs are expected to take place October 16 as needed.

Acting audition: It is highly recommended you read the director’s version of the script prior to auditions. Then, choose two scenes/monologues to prepare from those available in the Google Drive linked below. You do not need to prepare a scene for every character you are interested in playing. If you prepare a scene that requires more than one actor, a member of the crew will read with you.
Director’s note: “I’m interested in actors who can act naturally, just as you’ve always done for any other part.  Don’t just try to recite Shakespeare’s lines like they are some kind of sacred text.”

This show will also incorporate some music elements throughout. Singing, dancing, and instrument playing is not a requirement to audition*.
Optional dance audition: no preparation needed, you will be taught a dance at auditions
Optional music audition: prepare any song (the director recommends a “fun schmaltzy Italian song”) to sing acapella or accompanied by a track or yourself; you may also do a music audition with just an instrument and no singing.
*The character Balthasar will be required to sing in two scenes

For more information, please read the director’s full statement on auditions here.

It is highly recommended you read the director’s cut of the script prior to auditions.

Full Script & Audition scenes available via a Google Drive here.

About the show:

Available Roles

(all auditionees should be of Junior High School age and above)

Don Pedro—a Prince and a soldier, any adult age

Leonato—Hero’s father, older, governor of Messina

Antonio—Beatrice’s father, even older than Leonato, a gentleman of Messina

Benedick—a soldier, 20-40, witty, swears he’ll never marry (until he falls in love), upper class

Beatrice—an independent woman, 20-40, witty, swears she’ll never marry (guess what happens), upper class

Claudio—a soldier, 20-40, upper class (must be willing to kiss on stage)

Hero—20-40, more innocent, upper class (must be willing to kiss on stage)

Margaret—an attendant to Hero, possibly slutty, thinks herself witty, probably younger, but possibly any age

Ursula—an attendant to Hero, probably younger, but possibly any age

Don John—a soldier, younger brother to Don Pedro, also a Prince—the villain

Borachio—a follower of Don John, so also a bad guy, any age, his name means “drunkard” in Spanish

Conrade—a follower of Don John, so also a bad guy, any age, thinks he’s a gentleman

Dogberry—Constable in charge of the Watch, lower class, confuses words, thinks he’s important, any age

Verges—Dogberry’s sidekick, lower class, a little slow, maybe smarter than Dogberry?, any age

Sexton (Francis Seacoal), any age, lower class, might be double cast with the Messenger, and one of the “Several” people below

Messenger, a soldier, might be double cast with the Sexton, and as one of the “Several” people below

4 Watchmen/women, lower class, any age, need to develop individual comic attributes, one of them has pants that fall down

Balthasar, a professional singer, any age, might be double-cast with the Friar, might also be a musician

Friar Francis, any age, might be double cast with Balthasar

Several Musicians, Servants, Mourners, a Boy, Party-goers, Dancers—4 to 7, these might all be the same people, any age

All roles are available. No prior theatrical or ACT experience is required.
Roles are open to diverse & gender-inclusive casting.  Our casting seeks to be as inclusive as possible and we invite gender nonconforming, genderqueer, transgender and nonbinary actors to select the roles they most identify with.

Age ranges are suggestions, please audition for any role you would like.

Questions can be directed to the ACT Office.

Phone: 814-943-4357

Email: act@altoonacommunitytheatre.com