The Community Stage presents Auditions for Enter Hamlet!
Enter Hamlet is what happens when William Shakespeare meets Rod Serling. In this Twilight Zone-inspired musical adaptation of Hamlet, a group of theatergoers find themselves unexpectedly stuck in a production of the Bard’s greatest
play – with deadly consequences! With original songs and an inventive story, Enter Hamlet truly brings new meaning to the phrase “the show must go on.”
We are excited to produce an original musical for the first time on the Community Stage. This production will give actors the opportunity to develop and originate characters in a unique way. Enter Hamlet grapples with the relevance
of art in our modern society, and its ability to impact our daily lives.
Book and Additional Lyrics by Patrick Gallagher
Music and Lyrics by Adam David Cohen
Directed by Stacey Bone-Gleason
Music Direction by Adam David Cohen
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursday, July 11 at 7 pm
Friday, July 12 at 8 pm
Sunday, July 14 at 2 pm
Sunday, July 14 at 7 pm
AUDITIONS DATES
Thursday, May 2nd from 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Saturday, May 4th from 1:00 – 3:30 pm
No appointment necessary. Open to ages 18+
Please prepare a brief contemporary musical theatre or pop/rock song and brief Shakespeare monologue.
Bring sheet music or a backing track – whichever is most comfortable for you. An accompanist will be provided. We will also have a bluetooth speaker.
No appointment necessary. Open to ages 18+
Click here to access
Enter Hamlet Callback Sides.
Please note: Callback Sides will only be used if you are call backed. We wanted to make these available ahead of time for anyone to access, but not everyone will be asked to read or sing material from the show.
Callbacks will be Saturday, May 11 (by invitation only)
Bring a résumé detailing your theatre experience, or be prepared to list your performance experience.
Bring your schedule and be prepared to list conflicts through Sunday, July 14, 2024.
Who will be in the room?
Director – Stacey Bone-Gleason (she/her)
Music Director – Adam David Cohen (he/him)
Who will be in the lobby?
Assistant Stage Manager – Sam DeLouise (she/her)
If you are unavailable during these audition dates or have any other questions, feel free to email Director, Stacey Bone-Gleason at stacey@arcstages.org.
Enter Hamlet Character Breakdown
Greg/King Claudius: Middle Aged
Greg: Professional, successful, impatient. Greg is a take charge type; a man who does not accept that he cannot know the answer to any question or control the outcome to any situation. He does not take well to uncertainty, and he will not defer to any perception of incompetence. Something of a literalist. Not an arts guy.
King Claudius is the new King of Denmark. Having married Queen Gertrude, he now also serves as father to Prince Hamlet, who suspects Claudius of murdering his own father, the former king.
(Baritone)
Emily/Guildenstern: Older Teen (to be played by an actor over 18 years old)
Emily is the teenaged daughter of Annie, sister to April. She’s not one for the theater. The older sister, she finds spending time with her family generally lame, and would rather spend the day on her phone.
Guildenstern is a childhood friend of Hamlet, summoned by the new king to figure out what’s crawled up Hamlet’s rear end. He is perhaps the least perceptive and second least sneaky person in the world.
(Alto/Mezzo)
April/Rosencrantz: Younger Teen (to be played by an actor over 18 years old)
April: Daughter to Annie, younger sister to Emily, April very much looks up to her older sister. She tends to be afraid of new things, old things, really all things, but she very much loves the theater.
Rosencrantz is a childhood friend of Hamlet, summoned by the new king to figure out what’s crawled up Hamlet’s rear end. He is perhaps the second least perceptive and least sneaky person in the world.
(Alto/Mezzo)
Annie/Horatio: 40s
Annie: Beleaguered mother of April and Emily, Annie wants the best for her kids. A lifetime of motherhood has made her pragmatic. She puts her feelings aside to look for solutions, almost as a habit. But we all have our breaking points.
Horatio is perhaps Hamlet’s only friend. He is the link between Hamlet and reality, more or less the only force in the play keeping Hamlet grounded.
(Mezzo Soprano)
Missy/Queen Gertrude: Middle Aged
Missy in some circumstances is the kind of woman who could be what the kids call a “Karen,” but when she lets her guard down and expresses herself she finds a kind of lightness.
Queen Gertrude is mother to Hamlet, former wife of Hamlet’s father and new wife to Claudius. She loves her son, but fears for him and what he might do, as well as what her new husband may feel compelled to do if her son continues on his unstable path.
(Alto)
Michael/Polonius: Middle Aged
Michael is a theater critic who cannot allow himself to like much. He acts as though he is the smartest person in the room, even if he secretly knows he isn’t. He finds himself stirred by being in the play in a way he did not expect.
Polonius: Father to Ophelia and Laertes. Very talkative. Always up in other people’s business.
(Baritone)
Yitzhak/Hamlet: 20s/30s
Yitzhak is searching for meaning in all the wrong places. But when they get the opportunity to become Hamlet, things finally begin to fall into place. This is where Yitzhak belongs, and they are loath to let that go, no matter the cost to them or others.
Hamlet: Just returned to Denmark upon hearing of his father’s death. A ghost tells him that his uncle, the new king, now married to his bereaved mother, is the one who killed his father.
(Baritone/Tenor)
Charlette/Laertes: 30s
Charlette is kinda snotty. Judgy type. Has a lot of friends but doesn’t know any of their middle names. Nor do they know hers.
Laertes is brother to Ophelia and son to Polonius. Hamlet kills every part of his family, so Laertes must have his revenge.
(Rock Alto or Rock Baritone)
Eliza/Ophelia: 20s/30s
Eliza would like to be a star on the stage. Barring that, she’d like for generally everyone in the room she’s in to look at her. At least, she thinks that’s what she wants. She may not be the brightest.
Ophelia is Hamlet’s love and once intended, sister to Laertes and daughter to Polonius. She goes mad after losing her father to Hamlet’s blade.
(Mezzo Soprano)