PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
January 9, 2015
CONTACT: Dr. Mary Ruth Marotte, (501) 428-4165; mrmarotte@arkshakes.com
YOUTH AUDITIONS SET FOR ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE
CONWAY — Youth auditions for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre 2015 summer season will be held Saturday, Jan. 17.
Among the roles available are parts in Fiddler on the Roof and the opportunity to appear in The Merry Wives of Windsor as part of The Groundlings Company. Any interested young actors between the ages 8 to 17 are encouraged to audition.
Auditions will be held from 1-4 p.m. in Bridges/Larson Theatre in the Snow Fine Arts building on the University of Central Arkansas campus. No preparation is necessary, but students will be asked to sing and move, as well as be given a scene to read.
To secure a space, e-mail casting@arkshakes.com with the names and ages of the students wanting to audition. Response will include assigned audition time and more information.
The AST summer season consists of the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and a special adaptation of As You Like It specifically for families. AST is particularly looking to cast two young girls in the roles of Sphrintze and Bielke in Fiddler, as well as other young actors and actresses to participate in the chorus.
New this year, AST’s summer educational program, The Groundlings Company, will appear in The Merry Wives of Windsor as “The Children of Windsor.” This unique opportunity combines learning with practice as students participate in acting classes while also rehearsing and performing alongside AST’s professional acting company in Merry Wives. There is a fee of $300 to participate in this program.
Rehearsals for all productions will begin May 12. Rehearsals for both Fiddler and Merry Wives will be primarily in the evenings, with some day-time technical rehearsals prior to opening. Merry Wives opens June 5 at The Village at Hendrix, with additional performances June 6, 11, and 13 at the Village and June 25, 26, and 28 in the Argenta Arts District in North Little Rock. Fiddler opens June 10, with additional performances June 12, 21, 24, and 27.
For more information about AST and its season, visit www.arkshakes.com.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is the state’s only professional Shakespeare company, housed on the UCA campus. Each summer, AST offers full productions of a range of Shakespeare’s works, as well as other plays and musicals that help fulfill AST’s mission to entertain, engage, and enrich the community.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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