Shakespeare Comes to KVTA!

Regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist, William Shakespeare is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His many works consist of roughly 39 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 long narrative poems, a few other verses, and some of uncertain authorship. Due to the popularity of his works, Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of a Shakespeare play? Well, here is your chance. This summer, we will test the course of true love by bringing Shakespeare to life in the Column Gardens at the Kankakee County Museum. KVTA is holding its first ever production of The Course of True Love: Botanicals with the Bard. It is a collaboration of scenes and sonnets from some of Shakespeare’s most well-known works, directed by Paul Snyder. We invite you to audition for this unique outdoor experience where some of Shakespeare’s sonnets and scenes from his most memorable works will be performed.

What type of sonnets and scenes you ask? That’s a very good question.

The show will include:

• Narration by William Shakespeare

• Six sonnets

• Scenes from: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet

You say you want to audition? That’s fantastic! Here is all the information.

AUDITIONS: Saturday, April 14

Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the KVTA Studios (1 Stuart Dr., Kankakee)

Audition Material: Prepare a monologue of your own choosing that highlights your acting strengths and ability to master the language of Shakespeare. Your audition selection should be no longer than 3 minutes. It may be memorized or read. The monologue should not be one of the selections that has been pre-selected for the show. There are 9 male roles, 7 female roles, and either gender roles for the presenters of the sonnets.

CALLBACKS: Sunday, April 15 at 1:00 PM at the KVTA Studios.

Callback material will be taken from the show selections. If you are called back, you will be told what parts to prepare for from the show selections.

REHEARSALS: Rehearsals will begin April 30th with times and dates to be determined after casting.

PERFORMANCE:

Date: Saturday, June 16 at 2:00 PM

Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, June 16 at 9:00 AM

Place: Column Gardens at the Kankakee County Museum

For the audition form, and script viewing, check out the link on our website at www.kvta.org.

We can’t wait to see you there!