This February, Shakespeare’s beloved classic “Much Ado About Nothing” will come to life at the Midland Center for the Arts. Presented by the Center Stage Theatre, audience members will have the opportunity to witness two pairs of lovers’ comic and sometimes tragic search for happiness and love.
The auditions for the play begin Nov. 3 at 6:00 p.m., and will continue on Nov. 4 at the same time. Director Dexter Brigham has left many of the roles open to high school age children. Both Claudio and Hero, the main characters who profess to be madly in love, are written in the audition packet as being young people. To audition for Claudio, the male ingénue, the minimum age is 18. Hero, the female ingénue, may be as young as sixteen.
DHS junior Dan Hall has been acting since he was in seventh grade, and did his first show at the Center for the Arts as the youngest character in the play “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. Hall is currently rehearsing for another Center play called “Fields Where they Lay”, and won’t be able to audition for “Much Ado About Nothing”.
“As fun as it would be, I don’t have time to do two shows at a time,” Hall said.
However, Hall has advice for any students who wish to audition for “Much Ado About Nothing”. Over his years of auditioning, he’s learned that preparation is key. Sitting down for 30 minutes to read through the given script will make all the difference when the directors call people up to read lines.
Hall has been on both sides of the casting table. He’s helped cast for a couple of shows and says that it’s harder for him to cast someone than it is to audition.
Especially since “Much Ado About Nothing” is a comedy, Hall says that prospective actors should make sure to smile and laugh during auditions.
“If you look like you’re not having fun, then they probably won’t cast you,” Hall said.
For any students wondering what it would be like to be in an MCFTA performance, DHS sophomore Ben Price has good insight. He got involved with his first MCFTA play when he acted in a Center Stage production of Willy Wonka. He has fond memories of all the plays he’s done at the Center.
“One of the best parts of being in not only MCFTA shows, but all of them, is the environment,” Price said. “You spend 12+ hours a week with this group of people, and you form great bonds. I have made some lifetime friends from being in these shows.”
Anyone wishing to pick up an audition packet for “Much Ado About Nothing” or learn more about performance dates can visit the link: http://www.mcfta.org/event/much-ado-auditions/e19415/
By Maia Donahue
