The Williams Lake Studio Theatre is looking for thespians, carpenters and all the people they can get for their production of Much Ado About Nothing.
Longtime troupe member and director of the group’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, Sheryl-Lynn Lewis, is pleased to be doing a play by “our good friend William Shakespeare.” However, there is a spin put on the Bard’s classic tale, as Lewis has chosen to change the time period to that of the Roaring Twenties.
Penned around the middle of Shakespeare’s career, Much Ado About Nothing is set directly after a war on a nobleman’s villa. Through a series of misunderstandings, plots and the playwrights signature wordplay, a tale of comedy, romance and weddings unfold, all at a frantic pace.
“It’s funny and it’s accessible. A lot of people think of Shakespeare and they think of the long ‘To be or not to be’ and this has none of that. It’s a lot of conversation between people, no rhyming couplets or really long speeches where you’re all alone up there on stage, it’s a lot of back and forth talk,” Lewis said.
With auditions opening Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, the play will go up in the first three weekends of March, according to Lewis.
“I need everybody,” Lewis joked. “I need five to eight women and six to eight men, age’s 18 up to whatever.”
She will be casting for a young couple in their twenties, one in their thirties, parents for the younger couple and a pair of feuding princes, in addition to everyone else.
“It’s community theatre, we’re willing to teach you what you need to know. As long as you’re willing to stand on stage and have fun trying it, we’ll teach it,” Lewis declared.
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Lewis said that the Studio Theatre is a true community theatre. Those who come to audition for the roles and assume them will find it more than just something to do, according to Lewis, they’ll be a part of the theatre itself.
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As far as time commitments go, Lewis said prospective actors could expect at least one weeknight and one weekend evening for practice times. For those who prefer to get involved with the theatre and stay out of the stage lights, Lewis said they are also looking for makeup artists, set builders and stage managers to work behind the scenes
Live theatre, to Lewis, is an empathetic, unique experience from watching a movie. She said the stories they tell on stage are more real than their film counterparts, simply because the actors are there in front of people breathing the same air.
She invites anyone and everyone from Williams Lake to come out and audition for the play and looks forward to seeing as many people as possible at the Williams Lake Studio Theatre Sept. 30 and Oct. 3.
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
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