Audition for Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Auditions will be held for Shakespeare at the Centre's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 7, and 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10.

In the outdoor courtyard, just outside of the lobby of the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, fairies will find a place to inhabit this summer as Shakespeare at the Centre, previously Shakespeare on Clark, takes on the light and airy comedy. It will be the second summer performing in the new location at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, after over a decade of performing on Clark Island. The production will be staged at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, July 22-Aug. 7.

The production staff, under the leadership of director Julane Sullivan, will hold auditions to fill all roles for this show. Auditions are open call and consist of cold readings from the scripts; the audition selections are posted online for prior study. Auditions forms, information and the audition material is available at www.shakespeareoclark.com.

All roles are available, and descriptions of those roles can also be found on the website. For actors not available during these times, a private in-person or Skype audition can be scheduled. Rehearsals for this production will begin during the second week of June, and be scheduled around actors' availability.

Auditions and most rehearsals will take place in the Jesters Courtyard, a workshop area within All Dressed Up Costumes, on the second floor in the Campana Building at 901 N. Batavia Ave., northwest corner of Fabyan Parkway and Route 31.

This production of "A Midsummer's Nights Dream" has been edited to 90 minutes of performance time. This is Shakespeare's most produced play, telling a fantasy story of young lovers, who run away into a woods to escape the tyranny of parents to explore love. A band of "actors" find the quiet of the woods an excellent place to practice their craft; and of course the native fairies of the woods create all sorts of mischief. The show will be family friendly, fast paces and edited for easy understanding and enjoyment.

Sullivan, one the founders of Shakespeare on Clark, has directed the past eight years of productions. She recently directed the premiere of "A Midnight Clear, the Christmas Truce of 1914" for the Batavia Arts Council, and last year directed "The Haunted Widow Lincoln," both plays by local playwright Donna Latham. Recently, Sullivan appeared on stage as Ana in "The Clean House" by Sarah Ruhl at Steel Beam Theatre, and will soon be performing with The Organic Theatre Company in Chicago as Bubushka in the American Premiere of "Out of the Blue."