Press release from Two River Theater Company

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, announces an opportunity for student actors, stage managers, designers, and run crew in grades 9-12 to be involved in the theater’s upcoming performances of A Little Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The 75 minute play, adapted from the William Shakespeare comedy by director Nicole A. Watson, runs March 7-12, 2017 on the stage of Two River’s Rechnitz Theater.

Auditions for interested high-school students will be held at Two River Theater on November 16 and 18. In addition, the theater is offering opportunities for high school students who are interested in working as an assistant stage manager, assistant director, assistant designer, or on the production’s run crew.

One of Two River’s most popular Education programs, A Little Shakespeare launched in 2014 and now introduces the works of Shakespeare to hundreds of young people each season. Through this program, Two River produces a 75-minute abridged version of a Shakespeare play performed by as many as 20 high school students, directed and designed by theater professionals.

This season, the Little Shakespeare production will be a large-cast adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor, adapted and directed by Nicole A. Watson, which will complement the three-person Merry Wives that is being produced in the Marion Huber Theater under the direction of Eric Tucker.

A Little Shakespeare includes a series of eight performances, including four student matinees, which are geared toward young people ages 9 and up. Each student matinee includes a one-hour in-school pre-show workshop conducted by a professional Two River teaching artist, as well as a talkback after the show with the student actors.

Student actors are cast through auditions, which are followed by three months of rehearsals, including script analysis, blocking, and character development.  Student actors should prepare a memorized Shakespeare monologue, 2 minutes or less, either in prose or verse. Auditions will be arranged by appointment only. To schedule an audition appointment, contact Amanda Espinoza, Education Assistant, at aespinoza@trtc.org or (732)936-8804, and include your full name, school, and cell phone number.

Students interested in opportunities with the production crew and run team should email Kate Cordaro, Director of Education, at kate@trtc.org with information about themselves and their background.

A Little Shakespeare is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, and is also supported by OceanFirst and The Jorgensen Foundation.