Auditions

As You Love It

Main Stage Workshop production, Curtain Up! New Plays Series

Written by Adam Kraar

Directed by Maryanne Kiley

Performances May 9-24, 2025
Rehearsals begin week of April 14. 

Transporting audiences to an alternate 20th-century New York, AS YOU LOVE IT follows a spirited young woman who concocts a daring scheme to impress her antiquarian father and the captivating actress who’s stolen her heart.

As Lydia pens a sequel to the beloved As You Like It, her "undiscovered Shakespeare play" takes on a life of its own. Her forgery captivates newspapers, scholars, and a Broadway producer, giving a new voice to what she loves most. This new comedy exploring the complexities of love and ambition was designated a Finalist by the American Shakespeare Center for its biennial competition for plays "in conversation with Shakespeare."

Auditions: January 11 and 12, 4PM-7PM

Audition sign-ups will be first-come, first serve. Please prepare one of the provided sides for your audition. You may be asked to cold read a second side.

Bring a recent photo and resume of acting experience, OR upload them HERE

Auditioners must be available for Call Backs.

*Open to all. Z Common Casting auditioners who did not receive a Callback email may choose to audition again on this date.

Call Backs: January 13, from 6PM-10PM

Please plan on arriving as close to 6 as possible and staying until released. Sides are provided for you to prepare.

*Call Back notices will be sent following auditions. Z Common Casting Call Back emails will be sent prior to auditions.

Video Submissions are open to auditioners seen at previous in-person calls or those who are available for an in-person callback on January 13.

Auditioners who fit the criteria can email [email protected] with a link to their video submission and current resume.

Director's note for all auditioners:

As You Love It has all the best elements of a Shakespearean romantic comedy: friends-turned-lovers, secret identities, plot twists and lost loves returning from shipwrecks. Rom-coms have endured centuries not for their unpredictability [spoiler alert: many people fall in love in this play.] Rather, they delight us because actors convey the stakes of their situation (however absurd) and use interesting choices to lift the language off the page. Our script is written primarily in prose, but has some monologues in verse. While actors don't need to be Shakespearean experts, a commitment to studying and working with heightened language, and a curiosity about the Shakespearean references in the play will be a plus. This will be the first staged production of As You Love It, so a sense of experimentation, and respect for the work of making new things is also important for this production. Finally, I am uncompromising about the culture of the room: I am seeking a team of actors, designers and crew where people take care of themselves and their teammates, own their mistakes, take creative risks, and operate with a generosity of spirit. If that sounds like you, read on!

LGBTQ+ and BIPOC actors are encouraged to audition. Actors may be considered for any role, regardless of gender, racial or ethnic identity.

Character Breakdown: 

Lydia Langtree

A poet who defies convention and gender roles, Lydia writes a sequel to Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and finds herself in the middle of a Shakespearan plot of family betrayal, secret identities and long lost loves. Must be an excellent dramatic and comedic actor with skill speaking in heightened text - both prose and verse. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Female-identifying or non-binary Age: 18-30

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Claire. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Claire Cummings

An actor, Claire yearns for more interesting roles for women in Shakespeare's plays, and her critiques of his plots and characters inspire Lydia’s writing. Claire is ambitious and smart, and seeks autonomy in her life. Must have excellent comedic timing with a flair for the absurd. Claire speaks in prose for much of the story, but has a few important monologues in verse. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Female-identifying or non-binary Age: 18-30

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Lydia. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Cleopatra Langtree

The oldest child in the Langtree family, Cleopatra upholds tradition and social norms, but is not afraid to take charge of her own future. She offers to tutor the love-struck Bartholomew Callow to win Lydia's affections. Her lessons take an unexpected turn. Must be an excellent comedic actor, with comfort playing a role that switches between comedy and sexual tension, with the implication of domination/subordination with her scene partner. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Female-identifying Age: 20-35

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Bartholomew. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Bartholomew Callow

A wealthy, timid and tightly-wound antiques dealer, Callow longs for the affections of Lydia Langtree, and agrees to be tutored by her older sister Cleopatra to be tougher and more seductive. Must be an excellent comedic actor, with comfort playing a role that switches between comedy and sexual tension, with the implication of domination/subordination with his scene partner. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Male-identifying Age: 25-35

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Cleopatra. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Claypool Langtree

Claypool is an antiquarian dealer and the patriarch of the Langtree family. Overly committed to the family's financial security and a legacy for his business, he jeopardizes his relationship with his daughter Lydia. Must be a strong comedic and dramatic actor. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Male-identifying  Age: 45-65

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Eloise. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Eloise Langtree

The Langtree family matriarch, Eloise is attuned to the turmoil within each of her family members, but has the patience to let each find their own way. Must be a strong comedic and dramatic actor. Will sing a brief song, so must be able to sing in tune. The ability to accompany herself on an instrument a plus.

Female-identifying Age: 45-65

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Claypool. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Lachlan Must

Endearing character role requiring excellent comedic timing and absurdism. Plays an elderly Latin teacher and amateur Shakespeare scholar (Lachlan Must), a Broadway producer with an unrelenting eye for the bottom line (Mr. Molasco), and the earnest Shakespeare character "Old Adam" from Shakespeare's original As You Like It. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Male-identifying Age: 50+

Clorinda Joy Walker

Character role who plays a paranoid heiress who inherited a trunkful of old Shakespeare scripts, Shakespearean-era fishmonger, and a Broadway actress. Must have superb comedic timing. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Female-identifying or non-binary Age: 25-40

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Laddy Whirlingham. There will be an intimacy coordinator.

Cyrus Spurlock

Character role who plays a self-important British Shakespeare scholar (Cyrus Spurlock). Will also double as a character within Lydia's new play: "Dirty Jack", a rough-talking shipwrecked galley cook. Must be a strong comedic actor with a penchant for the absurd and a range that stretches from high snobbery to hardscrabble. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Male-identifying Age: 35-50

Can speak with RP/upper class British accent as well as a working class dialect

Sgt. Laddy Whirlingham

Character role as the hot headed and romantic police seargent and paramour of Cleopatra Langtree. Will also play the role of a nosy newspaper reporter at the Langtree home. Ability to play an instrument is a plus, but not a requirement.

Male-identifying Age: 25-40

Intimacy disclosure: Stage kiss with Clorinda Joy Walker. There will be an intimacy coordinator.