CARDIFF OPEN AIR THEATRE FESTIVAL 2017
Sophia Gardens
Cathedral Road
Cardiff CF11 9SQ
AUDITION NOTICE
William Shakespeare
Director
Simon H West
Macbeth receives a prophecy from the Weird Sisters that one day he will become King. Consumed by
ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for
himself. Wracked with guilt and paranoia and forced to commit more and more murders to protect
himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent
civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.
Performance Dates: Thursday 20th July to Saturday 29th July 2017
11 performances over 10 days at the Everyman Festival Theatre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Performances every evening at 8pm with matinees on Saturdays 22nd & 29 th July.
No performances on Sunday 23 rd July.
Technical & Dress Rehearsals: Sunday 16th July to Wednesday 19th July.
The first rehearsal will be on Sunday May 7th at Chapter Arts Centre followed by the Festival Company Meeting at 2pm.
[all those who have been cast are required to attend this meeting]
Rehearsals will continue from May 14th onwards.
Rehearsal days: Tuesday and Thursday evenings, some Saturday afternoons and Sundays all day.
Rehearsals will be carefully scheduled and not everyone will be called to every session.
Additional rehearsal days may be called nearer production period.
Please note that all performances take place in the open-air.
THE PLAY
King Duncan’s lieutenants, Macbeth and Banquo, encounter three weird sisters on their way from quelling a rebellion. The witches
prophesy that Macbeth will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and then become King of Scotland, while Banquo’s heirs shall be
kings. The men want to hear more but the weird sisters disappear. Duncan creates Macbeth Thane of Cawdor in thanks for his
success in the recent battles and then proposes to make a brief visit to Macbeth’s castle.
Lady Macbeth receives news from her husband of the prophecy and his new title and she vows to help him become king by any
means she can. Macbeth’s return is followed almost at once by Duncan’s arrival. The Macbeths plot together and later that night,
while all are sleeping and after his wife has given the guards drugged wine, Macbeth kills the king and his guards. Lady Macbeth
leaves the bloody daggers beside the dead king. Macduff arrives and when the murder is discovered, Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and
Donalbain flee, fearing for their lives, but they are nevertheless blamed for the murder.
Macbeth is made King of Scotland, but is plagued by guilt and insecurity. He arranges for Banquo and his son, Fleance to be killed,
but the boy escapes the murderers. At a celebratory banquet Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and disturbs the guests with his
strange manner. Lady Macbeth tries to calm him but is rejected.
Macbeth seeks out the witches and learns from them that he should beware of Macduff, that he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes
to his castle, Dunsinane and that he need fear no-one born of woman. Emboldened by the prophecy, Macbeth embarks on a reign
of terror murdering those who would threaten his throne. He slaughters Macduff’s entire family whilst Macduff himself is in England
with Malcolm. On hearing the news, Malcolm joins forces with Siward, Duke of Northumberland to lead an army against Macbeth.
Macbeth feels safe in his remote castle at Dunsinane until he is told that Birnam Wood has been seen moving towards him. In fact,
Malcolm’s army is carrying branches from the forest as camouflage for their assault on the castle. Meanwhile Lady Macbeth,
paralysed with guilt, walks in her sleep and gives away her secrets to a listening doctor. She kills herself as the final battle
commences.
Macduff challenges Macbeth who, on learning his adversary is the child of a Caesarean birth, realizes he is doomed. Macduff
triumphs and brings the head of the traitor to Malcolm who declares peace and is crowned king.
THE CHARACTERS
• The Synopsis and Character Breakdown apply to the play as published and do not take into account any creative
decisions or cuts to the text that may be made prior to the start of rehearsals
• All roles are available, casting is open and newcomers to the Festival are welcome and encouraged
• Line counts are given in brackets; they are approximate and for guidance only
• Some roles can be played by male or female
• Smaller roles will be doubled / trebled and some characters may be combined
• There are opportunities for non-speaking ensemble roles
The Weird Sisters: Introduced to us in the opening scene, The Three Witches set Macbeth upon his murderous path. They tell
Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor and subsequently King. Later by raising Three Apparitions, they foretell his doom.
Symbolic of both the underworld and the mysticism of the 1500s, they are synonymous with the theme of the supernatural in the
play. (80) (50) (50)
Macbeth: The tragic focus of the play. Originally a loyal and honest man, his descent into murder and betrayal is the tale of how
ambition can tarnish even the purest of souls. Although loyal to Duncan, his own "vaulting ambition," leads to him into cold-blooded
murder to secure his own destiny. The man at the end of play is one we would barely recognize from the Macbeth we meet at the
beginning. (700)
Lady Macbeth: Macbeth's wife. Her ambition for Macbeth's future rivals and arguably exceeds that of Macbeth's. She goads
Macbeth to kill Duncan when he hesitates. Later despite the appearance of calm, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the
blood on her hands which no one else can see. A study of the apparent falsehood of denying one’s conscience and feelings. (250)
Banquo: Loyal friend of Macbeth. He bears witness to the initial prophecies made by the Three Witches. Though eager to learn his
own destiny, Banquo serves as a counterpoint to how one deals with fate. Macbeth kills to reach his. Banquo is content to let
destiny carve its own path. Later killed to preserve Macbeth's status, he reappears as a ghost. (100)
Fleance: Son of Banquo and the first in a line of kings prophesied by the Weird Sisters. Escaping when his father was killed,
Fleance represents a future Macbeth cannot bear; a line of kings following Banquo and not his own sons. Young actor. (2)
Macbeth 2017
Duncan: King of Scotland. The naïve and trusting King. At the beginning of the play when Duncan is betrayed by the original
Thane of Cawdor, he grants this title upon the loyal Macbeth who secured the King victory in battle. Ironically, King Duncan later
dies at the sword of the trusted Macbeth, the new Thane of Cawdor. His death sets up the theme of the natural order being
disturbed. (70)
Malcolm & Donalbain: The two sons of King Duncan. Upon their father's death, they flee to avoid a similar fate. Donalbain heads
to Ireland, whilst Malcolm heads to England where he hopes to build an army to take back the kingdom from the evil Macbeth.
(200) (10)
Hecate: A shadowy character of the underworld, she commands and demands the loyalty and respect of The Weird Sisters. We
first meet her when she belittles them for helping an ungrateful Macbeth. She later commands them to tell Macbeth his future
according to her will, when next the Three Witches and Macbeth meet. (40)
Macduff: A nobleman of Scotland who restores Malcolm to his rightful place as king. Alluded to by The Second Apparition as an
agent of Macbeth's downfall, he loses his wife and children to Macbeth who had them murdered. (170)
Lady Macduff: Wife to Macduff, she is murdered by Macbeth along with her children. (40)
Siward: Leader of the English army which defeats Macbeth. He loses his son, Young Siward to Macbeth. (30)
Young Siward: The son of Siward, he dies fighting Macbeth. Being of natural birth, his death at Macbeth's hands strengthens
Macbeth's belief in his invincibility. Young actor with good physical skills. (7)
Lennox, Ross, Menteith, Angus and Caithness: Noblemen of Scotland fighting Macbeth. (75), (140), (12), (21), (11)
The Porter: The gatekeeper to Dunsinane, who holds watch on the night of King Duncan’s murder. One scene but strong
character role. (50)
Seyton: A lieutenant of Macbeth's. (5)
Old Man, Son of Macduff, A Scottish doctor, A wounded Sergeant.
plus Lords ,Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, Messengers , The Ghost of Banquo and other Apparitions.
THE DIRECTOR
MACBETH: I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er ...
“Suppose a man’s ambition goes unchecked by any moral constraints? What happens when that man ascends to the highest
office in the land? Macbeth remains a cautionary tale with a message that seems particularly relevant in these strange times!
For this exciting project, I am looking for a company of players that excel in lead roles, smaller character parts or non-speaking
ensemble. There will be plenty of opportunity for casting if you can offer the strengths of acting, energy and physical skills. I am
very much looking forward to beginning work on my favourite Shakespeare play
A quick note about rehearsals: BE THERE! I can work around scheduled unavailability and you will not be called unless I intend
working with you; those who have worked with me before know that rehearsals are busy and concentrated but always fun!
I look forward to seeing you at auditions.”
SHW
Simon H West is a freelance director, performer and producer. Before he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Simon
was a member of Everyman Theatre and appeared in many of their productions at Dyffryn Gardens and Chapter Arts
Centre. Since then he has directed nearly fifty professional productions for the stage, appeared in theatre, television and
commercials across Europe and lectures in Performing Arts. He directed his first production for Everyman – Shakespeare’s
‘Twelfth Night’ – at the 2001 Festival. Other Festival shows include ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Comedy of Errors’, ‘The Merry
Wives of Windsor’, ‘The Gondoliers’, ‘HMS Pinafore’, ‘Blackadder II’, ‘Blackadder the Third’ and ‘Allo ‘Allo! With andGO
Productions, Simon has also co-produced Everyman’s Family Show since 2013. Macbeth will mark his eighteenth year as part of
the Festival and his twelfth production as a director.
Macbeth 2017
THE AUDITIONS
Before auditioning, please take a moment to consider the necessary level of commitment.
Take careful note of the rehearsal period and be honest about your availability within it.
Although the rehearsal process takes place over a number of weeks, consistent and punctual attendance is essential,
as we will be operating within a very tight schedule.
A high level of unavailability, persistent lateness and/or no-show will regrettably result in your
being asked to leave the production.
• Auditions will be held at Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton, Cardiff on:
Saturday 11th February (2pm – 6pm)
Sunday 12th February (10am – 7pm)
Monday 13th February (6pm – 9pm)
Any recalls will be held the following weekend on Sunday 19th February
• If you would like to audition but cannot attend on any of these days, please let us know as soon as possible
• Please arrive 15mins before your audition slot and bring with you your completed audition form. NB. Please attach a
photograph. Spare audition forms will be available on the day
• When booking an audition slot, please refer to the character breakdown
• Prepare a speech from any Shakespeare play of your choice. You may, of course, choose a speech from
Macbeth. Please bring the text with you. You should bring the text even if it is from Macbeth
• At the first audition, you will be seen individually but If you are recalled, you may be asked to read scenes from the piece
in pairs or in groups
• We wish to take account of your talents and abilities when making casting decisions, so it is important that any special
skills [eg musical instrument, dance, circus, combat etc.] are listed on the audition forms
• Not being recalled does not necessarily mean you are not being considered for a role
• Please note that attendance at the Festival Company Meeting on Sunday May 7th is expected for all those cast
To reserve your place at the audition,
please email [email protected]
We look forward to seeing you!
Macbeth 2017
Everyman Theatre Cardiff Ltd.
Audition Form for
Macbeth [2017]
Please attach a
[current] photo of
yourself here!
To book your audition time please contact
email [email protected]
Please write clearly and don’t forget to bring this form
with photograph to your audition!
Name……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Date of audition……………………………………………………................................ time…………………………………......
Address…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Postcode………………………………… email address……………………………………………………………………………
Tel.no [home]………………………………………............ [work/mobile] …………………………………………………………
Date of birth if under 16 on 20th July 2017 ………………………….................………
ANY SPECIAL SKILLS – eg, dancing, singing, juggling, combat, etc………………………...............................……………...
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................
Please state any and all commitments [family/work/holidays/other shows etc] that may conflict with the rehearsal period!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE [continue overleaf if necessary] ……………………………………………………………………....
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Is there a particular role in which you are interested? ................................................................................................
If not cast in a principal role, would you be prepared to join the cast in an ensemble / non-speaking role – yes / no
Are you already a member of Everyman Theatre? yes / no
PLEASE NOTE – everyone cast must become an Everyman member.
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE
NOTES:
Not cast/recalled/cast as…………………………………................…………………………………….. written acceptance rec’d yes/no
Macbeth 2017