The Venetian Twins

OLD MIll THEATRE

Season July-August 2008

CHANGE OF AUDITION DATE- APLOGIES BUT ITS NOW SATURDAY MAY 17TH

(Due to a double booking for May 10th!)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT ANY OF THE "MUSICAL" VERSIONS, THIS IS THE PLAY AS ORIGINALLY INTENDED!

Auditions for the hilarious Goldoni tale of mistaken identities, romance, plots and counter plots in Verona in the mid 18^th C will be held on Saturday 17^th May 2008 at The Old Mill Theatre.

Auditions will commence at 12.30 pm for the role of the twins, and for all other characters at 1.30 pm

Yep, it’s a doublet and hose type thing with plenty of swords fights, swooning, asides to the audience and utter confusion! This is the play that essentially killed off Commedia Dell’arte in Italy. The Commedia characters are still there in name but it was more sophisticated than the stock improvised Commedia, and for the first time, it was scripted. The script we will be using is a 1993 translation written for the RSC in England. It is modern, fast and funny!

This production will be physical, energetic and I believe, very amusing!

The play needs one very strong, active, engaging man to play both twins – Zanetto, rich but unsophisticated from Bergamo and Tonino, also rich but a gentleman from Venice. The actor will need to be able to switch easily from a common, loutish accent to a citified one. This is a big role and will require a fair amount of stamina (eg: exit Zanetto stage left, enter Tonino through the auditorium!). But it will be a brilliant opportunity for someone. And good fun!

Eight or nine other men are required and three or four women. Roles vary in size and two may be able to be doubled up.   Ages are not overly important, but age in relation to the others in the cast will be. Rosaura is the only character who has an age mentioned – early twenties.

Rosaura         -           Dr Balzoni’s daughter         young and very beautiful.

Columbina    -           Her maid                            strong and forward.

Dr Balanzoni -                                                     older, scheming.

Brighella         -           His servant.                       loyal

Pancrazzio     -           A friend of Dr Balanzoni        older, sly.

Beatrice         -           Tonino’s fiancée.

Florindo          -           A friend of Tonino            younger.

Lelio                -           Dr Balanzoni’s nephew     handsome, effeminate, sword fighter.

Arlecchino    -           Zanetto’s servant                common and simple

Porter             -

Tiburzio                       -           A jeweller

Bargello         -           The chief Constable

Guards          -           non-speaking parts/ may be doubled with Porter.

Servant girl    -           non-speaking part.

Auditions for the role of the twins will be from 12.30pm, and for all other characters from 1.30pm.Audition extracts will be available for perusal an hour before.

For any other information or to register interest, please contact the director, Vanessa Jensen at vandlars@bigpond.net.au using TVT Auditions as the subject heading.