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Measure for Measure: Non-Union, Volunteer

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Measure for Measure: Non-Union, Volunteer

Audition Non-Union Volunteer

Berkeley Shakespeare Company
In a not-so-distant America, church, state, and spectacle have collapsed into a single machine of control. Shakespeare's Measure for Measure finds its sharpest edge here, in a theocracy promising "national purity" while criminalizing queer love, erasing immigrants, and policing bodies under the banner of virtue. 

When Claudio and Juliet, a young queer couple of color, are imprisoned for "immorality," their persecution ripples through a divided city: the immaculate upper tier of surveillance above, and the defiant underground of drag artists, dreamers, and the displaced below. Angelo enforces laws he cannot live by. Isabella discovers that purity, unchallenged, becomes its own kind of violence. The Duke, cloaked in benevolence, manipulates mercy like a weapon. As the regime tightens its grip, the question is no longer who holds power, but whether love, laughter, and defiance can survive it. It ends, technically, in marriage. Make of that what you will.

Online Audition Form

Character Descriptions

Duke Vincentio (as Friar Lodowick)    The Duke of Vienna who disguises himself as a friar and engineers the plot.

Angelo    The strict deputy in charge, publicly severe and privately corruptible. 

Isabella    Claudio’s sister, a novice nun whose moral force drives the play.

Escalus / Justice    Escalus: A senior judge and statesman who is moderate and uneasy with Angelo. Justice: A minor legal official.

Claudio    Isabella’s brother, sentenced to death for impregnating Juliet before marriage. 

Lucio    A fast-talking gossip and commentator who pushes the action along. 

Mariana / Juliet / Francesca    Mariana: Angelo’s abandoned former fiancée, used in the plot against him. Juliet: Claudio’s pregnant lover, shown in prison and accepting blame.

Provost / Friar Peter / Friar Thomas    Provost: The prison official who often shows compassion and practical judgment. Friar Peter: A friar who helps bring the final exposure of Angelo. Friar Thomas: A minor friar who assists the Duke early on. 

Pompeii / Bernadine    Pompeii: A comic tapster and bawd who survives by hustling and joking. Barnadine: A drunken prisoner who is stubborn about death.

Elbow / Messenger / Officer + Attendant    A muddled, blustering constable used for comic relief.

Mistress Overdone / Servant + Citizen    A bawd and brothel keeper affected by the city crackdown.

Master Froth / Abhorson + Attendant / Citizen    Master Froth: A minor comic gentleman caught in the bawdy subplots. Abhorson: The executioner, blunt and professional.

Ensemble: Attendant + Citizen    Strong mover required

Ensemble: Attendant + Citizen    Strong mover required

Dates

Online Auditions accepted until June 16 at 11:59 pm.

Callbacks: 

June 27 (6 pm - 10 pm), June 28 (2 pm - 6 pm) -- Shotgun Studios (1201 University Ave, Berkeley) - you will be asked to attend 1 of these days.

Summer Workshop (required): July 5 (10 am - 4 pm), July 12 (12 pm - 4 pm) -- Shotgun Studios
Rehearsals: August 31 initial Zoom rehearsal September 14 - October 22 -- in Berkeley (Mon - Thurs, 7-10 pm)
Tech: October 25 - 29 -- Live Oak Theater

Performance dates: The show performances will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (matinees) for three weekends starting October 30.
October 30 - November 1, Nov 5 - 8, Nov 13 - 15
*Please note that there is a performance scheduled for Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 pm.
Show times will be 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays  and 2 pm on Sundays. Performances will be held at the Live Oak Theater in Berkeley.

How to Submit

Complete the audition form by June 16 at 11:59 pm. 

Please include the link to your audition recording - auditions monologues should be: 
- from Shakespeare;- between 1-3 minutes long; and - reflect your interpretation of the text.
*Please let us know if you are able to perform contrasting comedic/dramatic roles!
*Make sure your Youtube, Vimeo, etc link is set to "Unlisted" or "Public" or if file sharing (Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, etc), it is viewable to anyone with the link. 

Additional Info

Director: : Ely Sonny Orquiza

Playwright: : William Shakespeare

Rehearsal Start Date: : 8/31/2026

Performance Start Date: : 10/30/2026

Rehearsal Location: : Berkeley

Performance Location: : The Live Oak Theater

Pay Rate: : Volunteer

Audition Date(s) and Time(s): : Online. Accepting submissions until June 16 at 11:59 pm.

Audition Location: : Please complete the following audition form:
https://forms.gle/SXvgyF2FFDGthkq38

Number of roles available: : 14

Will there be callbacks? : Yes

Callback date, time, and location: : June 27 (6 pm - 10 pm), June 28 (2 pm - 6 pm) -- Shotgun Studios (1201 University Ave, Berkeley) - you will be asked to attend 1 of these days.

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