Auditions for Romeo & Juliet

Swamp Meadow Community Theatre Announces Auditions for
William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet

  • August 1, Romeo & Juliet only – 6:30-9 pm. Note updated time!
  • August 3, Remaining Cast – 6:30-9 pm. Note updated time!

No prepared monologues are required. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Foster Town House
181 Howard Hill Rd, Foster RI.

Performance dates are tentatively set Nov. 11, 12, 13, 19, 20, and 21.

Cast of Characters

(in order of appearance)

Please note that all indicated genders and age ranges for characters refer to character appearance, not to the actors themselves. If you are a 16-year-old girl who thinks she can pull off portraying a 60-year-old man (or vice versa), go for it. J A number of parts will involve some degree of dancing and/or fighting. We will have choreographers to help with those areas and no prior experience is required, although it is certainly a plus.

  • Chorus(any age, either gender) The Chorus is a personable, bright, engaging narrator who helps guide the audience through the play with helpful background information, humor and editorial comments in modern speech.
  • Vendors (3)(any age, either gender) Street vendors unwillingly caught up in the Montague/Capulet feud.
  • Gregory(15-50, male) Servant of the Capulet clan, a decent guy, not especially bright, but good with his fists and knife. He tends to let Sampson do his thinking for him, with unfortunate results. Involves a little dancing and fighting.
  • Sampson(15-50, male) Chief Capulet servant, a braggart and instigator who counts on Gregory’s muscle to get him out of the troubles he brings on himself. Involves a little dancing and fighting.
  • Abram(15-50, male) Member of the house of Montague, easily angered. Involves a little dancing and fighting.
  • Balthasar(15-30, male) Servant of the house of Montague who shares Romeo’s exile to Mantua. Involves a little dancing and fighting.
  • Benvolio(15-20, male) Romeo’s cousin and companion. He is generally peaceable and well-meaning, which doesn’t always save him from trouble. Involves sword fighting.
  • Tybalt(20-30, male) Juliet’s cousin and a renowned sword-fighter with a very short temper and deep hatred for all things and persons Montague. Involves sword fighting.
  • Capulet(60+, male) The patriarch of the Capulet clan. His powers are beginning to fade, but he is an old warhorse and can still be terrifying when angered. Juliet is his last surviving child. Involves some dancing and strong emotions.
  • Lady Capulet(30-50, female) Capulet’s considerably younger current wife. Juliet is her daughter and only child. She struggles with the duel responsibilities of curbing Juliet’s youthful willfulness and her husband’s sometimes erratic and explosive behavior. Involves some dancing and subtle characterization.
  • Montague(40+, male) Leader of the house of Montague and Romeo’s father. Impatient and not the best “people person”, he is baffled by his romantic, moody son.
  • Lady Montague(30-50, female) Montague’s wife, she is somewhat more sympathetic to her son’s impulsive emotionality than is her husband.
  • Prince(ss) Escalus(40+, either gender) Ruler of Verona and father (mother?) to Paris. The Prince is very frustrated with the vendetta between the Capulets and Montagues and takes extreme measures to try to end it, measures which ultimately get not only Romeo and Juliet, but also his own son Paris, killed.
  • Romeo(15-20, male) A passionate, impulsive young man with great talents and charisma, but poor judgment. Our romantic hero. Involves sword fighting, kissing and the ability to openly express great passion and emotion.
  • County Paris(18-25, male) Son of Prince(ss) Escalus, and a Count in his own right, he courts Juliet after gaining her father’s permission. He is a good match and a good chap, but a bit conventional and straight-arrow for the strong-minded, fiery Juliet.
  • Anthony/Antonia(any age, either gender) A servant of the Capulets; a bit of a wise guy/gal.
  • Nurse(40+, female) Juliet’s former wet-nurse, now her personal servant. She is common and crass, but loves Juliet and knows her better than anyone. Even so, she ultimately fails to understand her well enough to guide her wisely through her tragic dilemma. Some raunchy lines and actions.
  • Juliet(16, female) The female half of the doomed couple, Juliet emerges as a strong-willed, clear-eyed tragic heroine with a fiery spirit. She has lived a very protected life, but when the time (and Romeo) comes, she breaks out completely beyond anyone’s ability to control or save. Involves kissing, strong passions, emotional intimacy, dancing.
  • Mercutio(20-30, male) Romeo’s friend and mentor, and something of a surrogate big brother. He has a wit and cleverness to match Romeo, but also a hot temper, which helps to feed some of his friend’s impetuousness. Involves swordfighting.
  • Potpan(15-50, either gender) Capulet servant, good humored, sidekick to Anthony.
  • Friar Laurence(30+, male) A priest, Romeo’s confessor and confidant. He has a good rapport with the young lovers, but ultimately abandons his role as advisor and counselor in favor of fully supporting and enabling Romeo’s reckless passion, contributing significantly to its tragic result. Willingness to rap a little a big plus.
  • Peter(Any age, male) The Nurse’s servant, he is a raunchy match for his mistress.
  • Friar John(20+, male) Another priest, used as a messenger to Romeo during his exile in Mantua.
  • Apothecary(Any age, either gender) Driven by poverty, sells Romeo the poison with which he ultimately kills himself.
  • Paris’s Page(15-30, male) Witness to Romeo and Paris’s duel.
  • Assorted Citizens, Gentlemen, Gentlewomen, Maskers, Torchbearers, Pages, Guards, Servants and Attendants

4 thoughts on “Auditions for Romeo & Juliet

  1. Hey I was wondering if the cast list/more info for the audition has been postec or if its in a seperate section

  2. Same as jake…do we need a monologue prepared and how long? or are we just required to perform cold readings at the first night of auditions

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