Additional Info

Callbacks - 

Callbacks will be held in-person and are scheduled for the Saturday, February 22, 2025. Callbacks will be by invitation only.

This page will be updated when callback invitiations and casting have been sent.

Rehearsals & Performances - 

Rehearsals will begin on or around June 9, 2025.
The show runs August 22 - October 4 with a possible extension from October 6 - 18, 2025.

Production Team -

Directed by David Morgan
Music Direction by Justin Bills
Choreography by Izzy Arrieta

A Note About Casting -

At The Ruth & Nathan Hale Theater we seek to honor the authors intent pertaining to each our productions. We care deeply about casting in a way where everyone feels respected, supported, safe and welcomed. 

We invite anyone and everyone to audition for any and all of our productions, regardless of any physical attribute, gender, race, age, ability, ethnicity, or experience. All are welcome at The Ruth.

Character Descriptions

All roles are available. We are looking for a diverse cast with a variety of body types.

Nick Bottom

Male Presenting, age Mid 20s-30s
Vocal Range: A2-G4
A struggling playwright who is frustrated with his lack of success. As head of a theatre troupe, he is desperate to outdo Shakespeare and create the next big thing in theater. Nick is driven by his desire to succeed, even if it means resorting to extreme measures. Ambitious, jealous, determined, but also somewhat clueless. Nigel’s older brother.

Nigel Bottom

Male Presenting, age 20s
Vocal Range: Eb3-A4
Nick’s younger brother, Nigel, is a talented but more idealistic playwright who is far less concerned with fame and more interested in writing meaningful theater. He is far more innocent than Nick and has a deep love for poetry. Sweet, sincere, and naive. Nigel represents the artistic side of theater, contrasting with Nick’s more mercenary approach.

Shakespeare

Male Presenting, age mid 20s-30s
Vocal Range: Ab2-Ab4
The Bard! A Rockstar in the Elizabethan Theatre scene and rival to the Bottom brothers. Shakespeare is depicted as an egotistical rock star of the Elizabethan theater scene, boasting of his talent and allure. While he's undeniably talented, he is also self-centered and somewhat pretentious. Arrogant, charming, flashy, and full of himself with a modern, rock-star swagger.

Bea

Female Presenting, age mid 20s-30s
Vocal Range: D3-D5
Nick’s wife. She loves and supports him despite his questionable decision making and lack of success. She dresses up like a man to prove she can be an actor.  She is a strong leader and a powerful woman who is quite persuasive when she wants to be.

Portia

Female Presenting, age early 20s
Vocal Range: G3-F#5
A quirky Puritan girl whom Nigel meets on the street. Portia is the only daughter of Brother Jeremiah and the love interest to Nigel Bottom. They fall madly in love with each other over their mutual love for Shakespeare and poetry. Portia and Nigel set out to convince Jeremiah and the other puritans that they should be together rather than following the "star-crossed lovers" idea.

Nostradamus

Male Presenting, age mid 30s-40s
A mysterious character who provides Nick with a vision of the future. In this vision, Nick sees Shakespeare’s eventual decline and is given the idea to create the first-ever musical (which he believes will be the next big trend). Mysterious, all-knowing, and slightly eccentric. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Brother Jeremiah

Male Presenting; age 40s-50s
Vocal Range: G3-G4
The Puritan father of Portia. He is very strict and refuses to let her daughter engage in "fulfilling her lustful desires". He shows nothing but disrespect towards everyone, but especially playwrights like Nick and Nigel. A deeply repressed Puritan. He despises playwrights, poets and all things ungodly.

Lord Clapham

Male Presenting, age mid 30s-40s
An extravagant Lord patron of their theater, a lesser Lord. Also doubles as the Master of Justice and Ensemble.

Shylock

Male Presenting, age 30s-40s
A money lender to whom Nick and Nigel are in debt. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Minstrel

Male Presenting, age mid 30s-40s
Vocal Range: C#3-A4
A character that narrates some parts of the story and serves as the "guide" for the audience. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Peter Quince

Male Presenting, age 20s-30s
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe. Sassy, sarcastic, at his wit’s end. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Tom Snout

Male Presenting, age 20s-30s
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe. Skeptical of Nigel’s flowery writing and hungry for more accessible scripts. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Robin Starveling

Male Presenting, age 20s-30s
An actor in Nick Bottom’s troupe, Robin plays the female roles in Nick and Nigel’s plays. Also doubles as Ensemble.

Ensemble

Male & Female Presenting, ages 18+
Strong singers and dancers to play various characters during the Renaissance. Roles include: Troupe Members, Townspeople, Writers, Puritans, Fortune Tellers, Astrologers, Psychics, Servants, Shakespeare Fans, Crowd, etc.