No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no excuse...

One of my favourite aspects of the play, undoubtedly comes in the form of Shakespeare's 'Rude Mechanicals'; the group of locals who come together to create and present a performance for the wedding celebration of the great Duke Theseus and his love, Hippolyta.  From the start, this group of simple folk offer much amusement, silliness and merriment.  Each scene is beautifully crafted to show us the comic simplicity in this world of common country folk.  

Because we are setting the action of our production within a specific period of history, we will be adapting the types of characters from the Regency period to fit within Shakespeare's world of the play.  There will be some gender switching and there will be scope for some great character work by the actors cast in the show.  Each one of these wonderful personalities has a life beyond the scenes they appear in and we will work to develop and create these.  I am expecting to have the most fun working on these scenes during the rehearsal period!

In auditions, I will be looking for hints of character personality within each actor...  A little clue to alert me of the potential within that actor.  Of course, I will be looking for touches of realism and humanity as well as comic ability.  I will also be considering the usual actor ethic and technique.  Now for those who are only reading the character specific posts, I will repeat a portion of my last couple of posts.   I am looking to create a production that will...

"...address many facets of each of these characters, without falling back on the stereotype of actor portrayals gone by...  I have already been asked many times about the actor requirements and technique structure I am looking for in the actors looking to play one of these roles. For the record, stereotypes, egos and short sightedness have no place in one of my productions.  

WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR - THIS PRODUCTION and the ACTORS
Of course, as always, I am looking for strong basic technique with clear, articulate voices and confident, motivated movement.  Not necessarily trained, seasoned actors, but artists with the pliability to be molded, taught, opened up to new concepts. Actors with a strong and professional work ethic, willing to look beyond what other actors have done before in other productions.  I will be looking for actor chemistry within couples, groups, and the cast, as a whole.

I want a fresh approach to these characters and a new look at the possibilities, without threatening Shakespeare's original intent.   Yes, we are setting in the Regency period and in doing so, I would like to look at the challenges that these characters faced, with a realistic approach -- it wasn't all cream tea and balls, now was it?  Of course, I would love to bring a little modernity into the production, as well..."

CLUES to the Mechanicals IN THIS PRODUCTION
I do have very specific ideas for each of these characters... these will develop as rehearsal progresses, and I am not intending to give away every single conceptual idea I have planned.  But, what I can tell you is that I will be looking for actors AND actresses who can embody these characters, without falling back on the stereotype of past productions. 

Now, like the posts for the Lovers and Fairies, let's look at 10 quick little clues about these characters and what I will be looking for...

1. Quince is definitely the 'Director' of this little venture and I will likely cast a woman in this role.  
2. The only Mechanical roles I am SET on to cast as male are BOTTOM and FLUTE.  All others will be open to women and men equally.  
3. We will keep their professions the same as written, but look into the historical period to find acceptable alterations for each,.
4. If I could describe my vision of each character in 3 words or phrases, they would be defined as follows:     BOTTOM - Pompous,  Lives above his means, overdramatic, know it all; FLUTE - Simple, young, idealizes Bottom; SNUG - Simple, lack of confidence, but essentially very smart; QUINCE - Controller, Manipulator, Like a kindergarten teacher with Bottom; SNOUT - Stoic, easily annoyed, simple; STARVLING - perfectionist, a bit 'poncey', pretentious.
5. Look into the English Regency period (particularly 1810-1820)
6. Explore Britain's colonization of India
7. The 'Tragedie' will definitely be quite a 'colorful' drama, set in the style of one of the colony's own performance styles
8. Some of the Mechanicals will be of slightly higher economic status than others, who will be more gypsy-like 
9. The world of Jane Austen should become an 'old friend.
10. There will be a lot of scope for actor input within the concept

  Now, take a little time to digest these things... Soak up some information on the Regency period (roughly 1810 to 1820) and look for more to come!

 Next Time - A quick little look into the Greek aspects of the play, as well as the Amazonian Queen, the Duke, the ensemble and more....