​CASTING CALL (DIGITAL THEATRE & THEATRE) PROFITSHARE. DEVON. (contact us asap for zoom/ facebook call discussion and casting)

SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY V - CASTING FOR THE DAUPHIN

* GENDER: Can be played male or female with our setting,
* AGE: 20s - mid 30s (we can be a bit flexible, but needs to work with the playing age of the French King)
*LOCATION: Due to live performances in November, we are looking for Devon-based actors only.
* SKILLS: Must be confident with using Zoom, including how to mute and unmute microphone, change backdrops etc. We can supply greenscreen if needed. Ability to do a light French accent is desirable but not a deal breaker.

PROJECT & DATES: This is a production which is currently well into rehearsals (over everyone working from home over Zoom at the moment)sadly the actor cast as the Dauphin has had life circumstances change unavoidably. The initual perfomance will be online, using Zoom with costume and digital backdrops etc, as part of Bristol Shakespeare Festival in July.
Following this, our cast (it needs to be the same cast due to the cast having already learned the lines and characters for the digital show) will re-convene in physical rehearsals at our usual rehearsal base on Wednesdays in November to work through the blocking for the live shows which will take place at the end of November at Brixham Theatre (as long as the government road-map goes to plan of course!)
Rehearsals over zoom take place on Wednesdays 7 - 9/ 9.30pm, and Sunday afternoons 12.45 to usually about 4pm. We are aiming for scripts down by the end of May 2021. The Shakespeare festival peforming dates are July 11th (recording the full show in case of techincal issues on the streaming dates) and July 24th (live streaming date). After this the show is on ice until we reconvene in late October.
We then reconvene to get the physical show blocking done, and some nessecary weapon choreography, on Wednesdays from late October, at our rehearsal hall in Brixham, and then will be in at Brixham Theatre for final tech and performances on Nov 24th - 27th 2021.
As all dates are booked and contracted, we are unable to now alter them.

OTHER: As this is an emergency re-casting, we havent got all the blurb on our website, (the casting up on there is for another project starting in late August) however if you pop over for a look; all the details of how we work, profitshares (and why we are currently stuck with that glass ceiling), sample actors agreements etc, are all there and the same for all shows. Also do explore the website to see everything that we are working on https://www.southdevonplayers.com/auditions.html
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QUESTIONS/ TO APPLY - you can message the page directly, email southdevonplayers@gmail.com, or phone Laura the director and company founder, (afternoons are the best time ) directly on 07855 090589.

As we move into 2021 - and beyond - we hope to begin creating education packs for children and students for each of our productions. The first one is already underway for our coming production of Henry V. 
As a unique part of these education packs, we are creating a series of videos in British Sign Language. 
For each show, we hope to create a video in British Sign Language, teaching  show to sign 10 (or 15) words specific to that theatre production. 
To begin, here is the sign language video for Henry V, signed by our lovely Sarah Gregori. 

Last week was the first  week of Zoom-based rehearsals (rehearsals 2 & 3)  for our production of Shakespeare's Henry V. 
The actors are already doing brilliantly, with characterisations, and action already starting to show through, and while of course this is the earliest days of the rehearsal process, and there is everything to yet work on, there is some strong work already coming through. As a director I am loving the expression in the tones. 
As part of our planned upgrade to blogging our shows, and including an education pack for each show from this production onwards, we are going to be sharing a lot of behind-the-scenes clips from rehearsals and interviews, as we work through the process. 

One of the challenges with performing in this way, is that very often, the actors are limited by constrained space at home, and while, later, green-screens will allow for production backdrops (we are working on the acting side of things first), the actors are expressing the majority of the action, expression and reactions/ interactions, theough head to chest images on zoom, and entering/ leaving the frame. They are also able to react to stimuli that their characters may percieve around them, off camera (which we will see in future videos). 
Therefore, in many ways. the acting, being closer to the camera, and therefore to the percieved view of the audience. 

The text and modern translation from the No Fear Shakespeare website HERE
​Follow the other updates for this production HERE

​Casting the French King in Henry V
(This is a recast, due to the original actor having a date clash with a previously contracted (pre Covid) project that is now resuming. )

The show
This is an "original text" production of William Shakespeare's Henry V. There have been a few small cuts due to running time. It is set in a postapocalyptic near-future, after an ecological disaster, and this setting informs the show design. 

Actor requirements
- Age: In order to fit with the current casting, the actor needs to be of an age suitable to play the Dauphin's parent. This requires the actor to be a minimum of 45 years old.
- Gender: Because we are casting gender-blind on this show, we are happy to cast either a male or female. 
- Location: While spring 2021 rehearsals, and the Bristol Shakespeare Festival performance are all digital and performance happens online  the actor needs to be based in or around the Devon area due to the 4 physical blocking rehearsals during November in preparation for the phsysical performances at the end of November. 
- Due to the use of digital rehearsals and performance, the actor should have the facility to use Zoom. 

Rehearsal dates 
Rehearsals are already underway, on Sunday afternoons 1-pm-4pm, and wednesdays 7pm-9.30pm. These will run up until the July online performance. We will then reconvene to have four-five wednesday rehearsals in late October-November, in preparation for the live shows. 

Show dates  
- Late July 2021, Henry V is being performed online as a digital broadcast show, in the second half of July 2021, as part of the Bristol Shakespeare Festival.
- Late November 2021, Henry V will be performed live at our home theatre venue, Brixham Theatre

Payment 
Equal profitshare, the same as all other cast and crew, using the the ticket sales for the performances, split equally. Please see the profitshare information on this page, which explains in more details how we work it out. 

Covid-safety
Our digital rehearsals and show all require the cast and crew working from home which is, intrinsically, safe. While we expect to be returning to physical rehearsals and shows in August/ September 2021, anything subsequent to that will be subject to the current status of the pandemic, and the liklihood of additional safety and cleanliness procedures in the rehearsal hall. 

To apply
Please email us on southdevonplayers@gmail.com, for audition sides, with any questions, etc. 

It has been a long few days deciding on the show castings for Henry V. The show needs a large cast, even with doubling of roles, and the standard of the auditions were, without fail, exceptional. 
After several days of soul-searching, we have finalised the casting for this show. With digital shows coming up in the summer and live performances later in the autumn, this is is going to be a thrilling new project for everyone. 
We are delighted to welcome the cast: 


Actor 1: Chorus, Duke of York, Sir Thomas Erpingham, Jamy, French Soldier, French Court Attendant – Allison Abbott

Actor 2: King Henry V – Rich Sandford

Actor 3: Humphrey of Gloucester, Sir Thomas Grey – Eve Germaine (may be asked to understudy Katherine as well, for Sarah)

Actor 4: John of Bedford, Williams, Duke of Britain, Duke of Berri – Christophe Monplaisir

Actor 5: Thomas of Clarence, Dauphin – Jamie Hoskin

Actor 6: Duke of Exeter, Rambures – Sarah Gregori

Actor 7: Earl of Westmorland, Fluellen, - Samuel Swaffield

Actor 8: Earl of Warwick, Bates, Bardolph, Constable of France – Jenny Coverack

Actor 9: Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard of Cambridge, Macmorris, King Charles of France, Duke of Bourbon, Grandpré – Anthony Webster

Actor 10: Earl of Salisbury, Bishop of Ely, Lord Scroop, – Laura Jury

M Actor 11: Pistol, Ambassador of France, English Herald, Duke of Orleans – Ben Butler

Actor 12: Williams, Nym, Duke of Brugundy, Governor of Harfleur, Montjoy – Alex Stewart

Actor 13: Boy, French Messenger – Lily Elliott

Actor 13: Gower -Sadhbh Saoirse

Actor 14: Alice, Hostess – Parascovia Everett

Actor 15: Katherine – Sarah Hobbs

This production is working from the original text. As it is a longer play, we have made some cuts, and it tells of the events in and around King Henry V's triumph at the Battle of Agincourt. With drama, humour and a wonderful range of characters, this is going to be a fantastic project to work on. You can read the original uncut text for the play for free on Project Gutenberg HERE 
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Ages. genders, etc at a glance. 
As with all our Shakespeare projects, we tend to cast the majority of roles as gender-blind - this means that any gender can audition for the same roles. Shakespeare's plays were notoriously male-heavy, originally, but that does not always fit a 21st Century way of working. People of all ethnicities are welcome to audition for any role. We are also very flexible on ages. While we are not casting children (under 18s) in this show, we do not have strictly preconcieved notions of characters ages, other than ensuring that any family groupings reflect a relevant range of ages. What is most important is that we select the strongest actors for the roles. 

Coming over the next few weeks, we will be uploding the information on our main 2021 casting calls. (Please note that we expect there to also be a number of other smaller digital-only projects, especially while we continue to create digital projects during the Covid crisis. These two major shows look forward to when it is safe, and viable to return to the live stage.

We are excited to announce that the next primary casting calls will be for a production of 
William Shakespeare's Henry V, and for an all new stage adaptation of Lew Wallace's classic novel Ben Hur. 

At the time of writiing, the Covid pandemic continues unabated, with a shocking "second spike", but in positive news, two vacciences have been approved for national use, and so, there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Some levels of lockdown do allow for theatres to open in a socially distanced way, but with rapidly changing infection rates in different regions, as well as the fact that with nessecary social distancing it is impossible to sell enough tickets to a venue to allow for the cast and crew to earn anything, and tight backstage areas where actors and crew are unable to socially distance (and that is before you even look at the mechanics of the interactions on stage!!!) 
Until we can perform viably and safely in theatres, our work will remain digital. 

Our lineup of live shows (when we can return to the stage) will be tours of 
- Jack The Ripper (currently in rehearsals, then a digital performance, which will then be held until we can return to the stage, for a live tour). 
- Henry V (subject to being able to return to the theatre during summer 2021, if not there will be a digital-only project linked with some larger national Shakespeare digital events) 
- Ben Hur (some work on visual and computer effects will begin summer 2021, requiring the two principals to be cast and contracted early, to have visual effects built around), but rehearsals etc will commence after Henry V, and the shows are hoped to be toured in winter 2021-2022. This will be our biggest and most complex show to date. 

Planning has never been so difficult - as it is not a simple case of scheduling one show after another, as in normal times;  it is also affected by the undercertainties of the pandemic. This means that dates are still highly uncertain at the moment, even to return to the rehearsal hall. 

Following the digital performances of The Lost Girl and Jack The Ripper, we will be having a week of "down time" to assess what the likely timeline is at that point. This means that we hope to start accepting auditions for Henry V, in the middle of Feb 2021. We may also schedule some short-term digital-only plays, if, at that point, it looks as if we will be remaining digtal-only into later summer. 

As always we are happy to keep a note of anyone interested in auditioning for us, in order to send a reminder when the audition packs are uploaded. 

There is a lot of news for a short period of time, that affects most of our shows. 

First of all, we are delighted to announce that our first ever Arts Council funded project, True Tales of Spooky Brixham, is now live for public ticket sales. We had a great session with most of the recording work last week, and are doing the final pickups tomorrow. This project will be fundraising for Brixham Theatre, our nearest local theatre, where we always perform for each show tour. 

Secondly, theres Jack The Ripper. The live theatre shows were originally planned for the end of January (at Brixham Theatre) but with the governments expectation that Coovid restrictions will go on for another six months, and Brixham Theatre not reopening until May 1st 2021, we will be running a virtual performance in early Feb 2021 (tickets on sale soon), prior to the rebooked tour dates in May for the live performances of Jack the Ripper as originally planned. All venues originally booked will be contacted by the end of the week to rebook. 

With this schedule in place, we can also announce that in, the early New Year , we will be castings for our second "live" post-covid show, Shakespeare's Henry V. The dates for this show run will be dictated by our inclusion with Bristol Shakespeare Festival, ideally live, or otherwise as an online show. 

With our virtual season, there have been some date changes. The Lost Girl (script by Germaine Shames, based on the novel by DH Lawrence) is being rescheduled for mid January 2021. Between some internal live broadcast logistics, and a delay caused by struggling to cast the older roles, (a new casting advert will go out shortly for those roles) we have postponed the project so that it can be done to best effect and quality.. 
The other autumn virtual shows, Sir Walter's Women, and The Taming of the Shrew, are unaffected. 

Our non-exclusive casting agency also remains open. While our books are closed to actors who have not worked with us (we work on being able to provide personal reccomendations from having ourselves worked with people),  our actors are largely available for remote/ home-taped/ virtual/ voice over work, or castings on known Covid-secure sets. Please note that if seeking actors through us, these are all experienced professionals, and must be paid as such.  
We have some new work coming in through the agency at the moment, and suitable team members will be approached over the next week or so for the work, which will all be done over Zoom. 

We are also in the process of developing a welcome book for those who join our teams for one or more productions. For those newer to working professionally, or who are unsure what to expect, this outlines how things work and organisation expectations, aiming to answer frequently asked questions, and be an easy to access guide. This will be finished by Christmas. 

And that's all for the moment. Stay safe, keep battling along, and never stop revelling in creativity!

Hello all! 
This is just an update with news all in one place! 

Overall, the news on theatres reopening remains the same. While some theatres are able to put on subsidised performances, it is impossible for most of us, sadly as outlined in our update on the subject, to return to distanced physical shows, for us and very many theatre companies. Most of the UK theatre industry is awaiting the announcements due in November from the UK government's Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, as to when theatres can re-open. With vastly reduced audiences due to (the very sensible!) distancing, it is impossible to run shows viably, and make enough from sales to pay for a venue and also to pay cast/ crew. 

Jack the Ripper
We are now rehearsing over Zoom each Sunday afternoon for this show, with plans for an online performance if the physical shows end up delayed. Jack The Ripper will return to the physical stage as soon as theatres are able to reopen (all being well, our bookings are for the end of January and early Febuary, with ticket sales going live once we know more from Mr Dowdens announcements in September. 
The production team are really pleased with how the rehearsals are progressing, with this Sunday being a characterisation workshop session. Our return to the physical stage, in 2021, will also mean that at least one performance of each show run, will be livestreamed to audiences who either are unable to access the venue, or who may still not wish to attend theatre in person after the pandemic. 

Shakespeare in 2021
Our 2021 Shakespeare show will be Henry V, as is already being booked for summer 2021. We are also hoping to finally get to tour our production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was postponed due to the pandemic, subject to cast and venue availibility, as it now appears highly unlikely that we will be able to tour the show this year. 

Virtual Season
Casting announcements will go out within a few days for the first of our Virtual Season, the dark adaptation of Snow White, by Ashley Griffin. There have been a few delays while the cast are being selected, but we will have that sorted out by the end of this coming weekend. Tickets have already begun to sell, and as soon as the casting announcement goes live, we will be able to send out press releases, distribute posters and online events listiings to really push for the ticket sales.  The ensuing plays, The Lost Girl and Sir Walter's Women, will be cast during the later part of September. 

Spooky Tales of Brixham
This project telling of our local town's folklore, is well on track, with a release date of Halloween. 
We have acquired a wonderful collection of Victorian images of Brixham, for some backdrops and intro cards, and are currently in talks with local filming locations. All filming will be socially distanced, and outdoors in a Covid-secure envriroment.