ROGUE COMPANY
CASTING CALL
ACTORS – IF YOU’RE READING THIS THEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO APPLY
BUT PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE CAREFULLY
Summary
Rogue Shakespeare® (www.rogueshakespeare.com) are casting for male and female actors for various productions of Ryan J-W Smith’s award-winning verse comedies in 2024.
We will be starting our season with 3 productions in Brighton as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival in May:
LOVE LABOURS WON
SWEET LOVE ADIEU
PRETTY, WITTY NELL®
Pretty, Witty Nell® is already cast and will be performed in dates across the fringe in the large 120 seat Rotunda Theatre.
We are now casting for Love Labours Won and Sweet Love Adieu, which will be presented as a double-bill at the beautiful Brighton Open Air Theatre as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival.
Another incredible open-air venue near London has also been secured for more rep performances in July (see below).
All 3 plays above were published in 2023 in the collection ‘Rogue Shakespeare – 3 Plays‘
OUR 2024 SEASON INCLUDES REVIVAL PRODUCTIONS OF:
LOVE LABOURS WON
Smith’s 3rd verse play is a fringe legend. Smith was initially funded to write the play by the Arts Council of England in 2005. Directed by Smith, Rogue Shakespeare® then produced the world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, where it astonished critics and audiences alike, and quickly became “one of the most acclaimed plays ever to come out of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.” – Broadway World.
Smith/Rogue Shakespeare® successfully revived the critically acclaimed show in Edinburgh the following year, this time with an all-female cast, gaining even more praise and countless more 4 and 5-star reviews.
Later, Rogue Shakespeare® produced the show at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival where it won 2 awards, including the highly coveted Hollywood Fringe International Award.
Winner – Hollywood Fringe International Award 2015
Winner – Encore! Producers’ Award 2015
Pick of the Edinburgh Fringe 2006 & 2007
★★★★★ “The best Shakespearean comedy not written by Shakespeare” – Three Weeks
★★★★★ “Funny, brilliantly acted” – UK Theatre Network
★★★★★ “a damned good romp” – British Theatre Guide
★★★★ “his writing is amazing… Smith is one to watch” – Fringe Review
★★★★ “mesmerising work” – Hairline
★★★★ “astonishing…excellent” – Broadway World
SWEET LOVE ADIEU
Smith wrote his first verse play, Sweet Love Adieu, whilst studying for his BA in Theatre Studies at Trinity College, back in 1999. After graduating, Smith formed Rogue Shakespeare® and produced, directed and starred in the world premiere in 2001 at the open-air Roman Theatre in St. Albans.
Since then Sweet Love Adieu has been produced many times internationally, by various companies, including at the Edinburgh Fringe; in New Jersey; North Carolina; Cleveland, and off-Broadway in Theatre Row on 42nd Street in New York.
In 2016, Smith completely re-wrote Sweet Love Adieu into an electrifying new version – “a bawdy, saucy, filthy farce in five outrageous acts” – which Rogue Shakespeare® premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that year. Sweet Love Adieu delighted critics and audiences alike was nominated for the International Award (won that year by Smith for one of his other new verse comedies, MacDeth!).
Nominated – Hollywood Fringe International Award 2016
★★★★★ “Definitely Shakespeare for a modern audience” – UK Theatre Network
★★★★ “Takes one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and turns it into a hilarious comedy” – British Theatre Guide
★★★★ “Farcical, bawdy, a treat!” – Three Weeks
“Great fun” – The Stage
“a comic delight” – St. Albans Observer
“HILARIOUS – GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!” – LA Stage Reviews
PRODUCTION DETAILS
BRIGHTON FRINGE
The Brighton Open Air Theatre
Actors cast for the Brighton Fringe may subsequently be offered further contracts for productions later in the Summer and beyond.
E.g Rogue Shakespeare® will be touring to the amazing open-air Roman Theatre, in St. Albans, in July.
The Roman Theatre, St. Albans
N.B. Smith’s critically acclaimed verse has often been described as “subversive” and “political”. So, while sample speeches from Smith’s plays are provided below for first-round self-tapes, we obviously recommend that interested actors new to Smith/Rogue Shakespeare® take the time to read Smith’s award-winning plays.
The plays are published, so we obviously cannot provide full scripts. But, we have negotiated with the publisher so that interested auditionees can purchase copies of Smith’s latest book of plays, ‘Rogue Shakespeare – 3 Plays‘ (which includes Love Labours Won; Pretty, Witty Nell; & Sweet Love Adieu) with a very generous 50% discount (while stocks last).
ROGUE AUDITIONEES ONLY!!
AUDITIONEES ONLY!
If you are auditioning for our 2024 season you can get a copy of Smith’s book of 3 Plays at half-price!
N.B. please note that this is just a generous offer for interested auditionees. Actors are not required to get the book in order to audition (audition speeches below) or to be cast.
CASTING:
Male players
(Male, 18–60 years)
If actors own copies of Smith’s plays they may choose to learn and self-tape a different speech than the one attached. We will NOT, however, accept a speech from any other verse writer (e.g. no Shakespeare, no Marlowe, no Ford, etc – Smith only, thank you).
MALE PLAYERS
William speech from Ryan J-W Smith’s ‘Sweet Love Adieu’ (V2)
Female players
(Female, 18–60 years)
If actors own copies of Smith’s plays they may choose to learn and self-tape a different speech than the one attached. We will NOT, however, accept a speech from any other verse writer (e.g. no Shakespeare, no Marlowe, no Ford, etc – Smith only, thank you).
FEMALE PLAYERS
Audrey speech from Ryan J-W Smith’s ‘Sweet Love Adieu’ (V2)
DRAG QUEEN / ACTOR
(Male, 18–60 years)
Looking for an actor who has both excellent skills in verse drama, and who is also an excellent drag-queen. It cannot be one without the other – must have both skill-sets. Please use the speech attached.
DRAG QUEEN / ACTOR
Witch speech from Ryan J-W Smith’s ‘MacDeth!’
OUR SPRING ROUND OF COMPANY CASTING IS COMPLETE
HOWEVER, WE ARE HAPPY TO RECEIVE SUBMISSIONS FROM EXCEPTIONAL ACTORS THROUGH-OUT THE YEAR
OUR METHOD
The Brighton Open Air Theatre
The Brighton Open Air Theatre
CASTING DIRECTIONS:
WHOLE-BODY THEATRE AUDITION
When filming your self-tape – MAKE SURE WE CAN SEE YOUR WHOLE BODY. We do NOT want to see a close up of an actor just reading the script off their computer screen while filming using the webcam! We would prefer you hire a studio for an hour and record your self-tape in landscape mode, but we will accept portrait in you can’t find a studio large enough for landscape. See the images for guidance.
BE WORD-PERFECT
This is NOT a CU for film – this is a verse theatre audition. So, learn your lines. Be 100% word-perfect. When you’re ready, stand well back from the camera so we can see your entire body, and record a genuine theatre audition. That means, BE LOUD! Imagine you are in the 400-seater open-air venue, the wind is blowing, it’s starting to rain… SPEAK UP! PROJECT!! BE BIG PHYSICALLY AND VOCALLY!!!
Don’t get too clever with props, costume or set – keep it simple – stand and deliver. Use the language – let the language motivate your acting – don’t stamp your acting all over the script.
SUBMISSIONS
1. Label your files as follows: NAME-ROLE-AGENCY (if you have an agent).
2. Please include a welcome video – this can be at the start or end of your speech – please just introduce yourself and tell us why you would like to be a part of Rogue Shakespeare and part of our shows in Brighton. PLEASE DO NOT SEND 2 SEPARATE FILES – please just add the welcome video to the start or end of your speech.
3. Use the contact form below to send us a link to your self-tape. We accept self-tapes in the following formats only: downloadable Wetransfer links or downloadable tagmin links. Please also include your spotlight profile link – don’t forget, your audition should include a welcome video where you talk about why you would like to work with Rogue Shakespeare®.
N.B. WE DO NOT ACCEPT YOUTUBE LINKS, GOOGLE LINKS OR DROPBOX, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
Whole-body landscape – preferred
Whole-body portrait – accepted
OUR SPRING ROUND OF COMPANY CASTING IS COMPLETE
HOWEVER, WE ARE HAPPY TO RECEIVE SUBMISSIONS FROM EXCEPTIONAL ACTORS THROUGH-OUT THE YEAR
ROGUE SHAKESPEARE®
3 PLAYS
OUT NOW – a new book, published in paperback, featuring a collection of 3 of Ryan J-W Smith’s most-loved & critically acclaimed plays:
and
ROGUE AUDITIONEES ONLY!!
AUDITIONEES ONLY!
If you are auditioning for our 2024 season you can get a copy of Smith’s book of 3 Plays at half-price!
