Audition Notice: Shakespeare’s Baddies selected scenes by William Shakespeare.
Directed by: Brett Landis, Omar Garces, Hannah Richards, Don Thumim, and Miranda Vargas.
SIGN UP TO AUDITION, HERE. Auditions will be on Monday, June 1, 2026 and Tuesday, June 2, 2026 from 6 - 10 PM. Please bring a headshot and resume. Please prepare a short 1-2 minute Shakespeare or classic monologue. There may be cold readings from the scenes.
Auditions, rehearsals, and performances are all at the Arapaho Center (300 East Simpson Street in Lafayette, CO). Performances are July 10 - 26, 2026 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2 PM). Rehearsals are June 8- July 9, 2026. Tech week is July 5-9, 2026.
ABOUT THE PLAY:
“Shakespeare’s Baddies” is a collection of scenes by William Shakepeare. It explores some of Shakespeare's best and worst villains in a fun and accessible way for modern audiences. The scenes selected include two scenes from MacBeth; the witches scene (with the witches cast as drag queens) and Lady MacBeth and Macbeth plotting and enacting Duncan’s murder. (Ideally, MacBeth will be played by the same actor in both scenes.) Another scene from Hamlet explores the effects of villainry through Ophelia’s descent into madness. Finally, the show ends on a lighter note with the prank on Malvolio from Twelfth Night. Two MCs will lead the show and give important context to each scene. (Improvisation and audience interaction is encouraged for these two roles. MC 1 has been pre-cast.) This show is suitable for all ages and is a fun and welcoming way to engage more with Shakespeare!
CAST: Casting will be race-blind and flexible as to gender. All descriptions refer to character age and gender and may be played by actors of different ages and genders than the characters.
MC 2- (any age, any gender) Your guide through the scenes. Performs Goneril’s monologue. Comfortable with audience interaction and improvisation.
The Witches Scene- MacBeth:
First Witch- A drag queen.
Second Witch- A drag queen.
Third Witch- A drag queen.
MacBeth- Plays the same role in the following MacBeth scene.
Scottish Play- MacBeth:
MacBeth- Man. Plays the same role in the Witches Scene. Afraid of his own ambition and how badly he wants to be king. Easily persuaded into anything as long as he thinks it’s his idea
Lady MacBeth- Woman. Driven to succeed at any cost in a world that doesn’t value her point of view. Frustrated at her husband’s lack of decisiveness and willing to get her hands dirty.
Ophelia’s Mad Scene- Hamlet:
Ophelia- Woman, 20s-30s. Young, innocent, and going “mad”. She’s going mad during this scene.
Gerard [Note we have gender swapped Claudius and Gertrude so this is originally Gertrude] - Hamlet’s father and King of Denmark, recently married to Claudia. Gerard loves Hamlet deeply, but he is a shallow, meek man who seeks affection and status.
Gentleperson- Any gender, a messenger
Claudia - Precast, Queen of Denmark
Laertes- Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action.
Malvolio- Twelfth Night:
Malvolio- Stick in the mud, rather humorless, sometimes nasty. The butt of Toby’s and Andrew’s pranks. Can be gender-bent.
Olivia- The ruler of the whole area, object of Malvolio’s secret crush.
Lord Toby- Olivia’s cousin, not the nicest person. Can be gender-bent.
Sir Andrew- Toby’s friend, also not a nice person. Can be gender-bent.
Maria- Olivia’s lady-in-waiting (or butler, if man or male-presenting person is cast). Andrew’s love interest and coconspirator in Toby’s and Andrew’s revenge on Malvolio.
Click HERE to sign up to audition. Thank you!