For Immediate Release
February 24, 2010

Veteran Director, Bob Smith ,returns to create his sixth production with Vpstart Crow. He is seeking performers for our Spring production, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Auditions will be held at the Cramer Center. See address below and / or click the link for directions.
Sunday, March 7th 6-8pm
Monday, March 8th 7-9pm
Callbacks (if needed) Tuesday, March 9th 7-9pm - Sides for Callbacks

Please prepare a 1-2 minute Shakespearean, comedic monologue. Monologues should not be prepared in an accent. Please bring a headshot and resume.

This production is set in the 1920s in a place where prohibition is in effect. Sir Toby makes sure this does not apply to himself by operating a Speak-easy. Orsino is the local law and flappers make the scene.

Mr. Smith is seeking performers to fill the following roles:

Orsino, Duke of Illyria: Male - 30-45 years old - Wants Olivia

Curio: Indeterminate - Any age - May double as Officer, or Priest

Valentine: Indeterminate - Any age - May double as Officer, or Priest

Viola / Cesario: Female - Early 20's - Female lead - Twin sister to Sebastian - Dresses as male - Would really love to have a set of twins to play Viola and Sebastian!

Captain: Indeterminate - Any age - May double as Officer, or Priest

Sir Toby Belch: Male - 30 to 50 - Olivia's Uncle The name says it all.

Maria: Female - 20 to 40, Olivia's maid. Smart and fun!

Sir Andrew Aguecheek: Male - 30 to 50, Drinking budy of Sir Toby

Feste: (also known as Clown): Indeterminate - Any age - Olivia's Jester - Would really like to have a guitarist in this role - Must be able to sing

Olivia: Female - mid 20s, Countess in mourning for recently deceased father and brother. Rejects Orsino, but is very interested in Cesario

Malvolio: Male - 30-50 - Servant to Olivia - Very proper, critical, and overbearing - No sense of humor, but a real sense of self importance

Sebastian: - Male - Early 20s - Twin brother to Viola - Would consider casting this role female (especially if identical twins were available)

Antonio: - Male - Any age - Sailor, who becomes a friend / confidant of Sebastian

Fabian: - Indeterminate - Any age - Servant of Olivia - Plots with Toby, Andrew, Maria, and Feste to embarrass Malvolio

First Officer: - Indeterminate - Any age - Possible double with Curio, Valentine, Captain

Second Officer: - Indeterminate - Any age - Possible double with Curio, Valentine, Captain

Priest: - Male - Any age - Possible double with Curio, Valentine, Captain

First read-thru is Thursday, March 11th, 7-10pm.

Rehearsals will be Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. There will be some hiatus from rehearsals during the last week of March. TBD
Performances are weekends May 7th-23rd.
Please be prepared to list your conflicts.

The performances will be at:
The Cramer Center
9008 Center Street
Manassas, VA

For more information, please contact Mr. Smith at bob.smith@vpstartcrow.com or (800) 660-8580, or visit www.vpstartcrow.com.

ABOUT VPSTART CROW PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Founded in 1994, Vpstart Crow Productions, Inc. (pronounced “upstart”) is a non-Equity and non-profit professional theatre company dedicated to performing the works of William Shakespeare and other theatre classics. Vpstart Crow’s mission is to produce live theatre as a vital, accessible and exciting part of community life. Employing a resident company of local professional actors and artists of the highest caliber, Vpstart Crow is dedicated to breaking down the barriers between audience and actors in a performance style that is thought-provoking and altogether vpstartling.

The term “vpstart crow” comes from one of Shakespeare’s rival English playwrights, Robert Greene. In his 1592 pamphlet, Groats-Worth Of Wit Bought With A Million Of Repentance, Greene criticizes Shakespeare: “… for there is an vpstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his tigers hart wrapt in a players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you; and being an absolute Johannes factotum (“Johnny-do-it-all” or “Jack-of-all-trades”), is in his owne conceit the onely ‘Shake-scene’ in a countrey.” In fact, Vpstart Crow spells its name with a “v” rather than a “u” in reference to the way the English language was written in Shakespeare’s day.