Shakespeare Royal Oak to hold auditions for next production

ROYAL OAK — Shakespeare Royal Oak will be holding auditions soon for its upcoming season this summer.

The company, in its 23rd year, will be holding auditions both in-person and via video for its production of “Love’s Labors Lost” March 10-11, with callbacks scheduled for March 12.

People interested in auditioning can go to www.shakespeare royaloak.com, where they can complete a request for a time slot and choose whether it will be in-person or on video. In-person auditions will take place at St John’s Episcopal Church, 26998 Woodward Ave., and video auditions will be accepted through 5 p.m. Friday, March 10.

Prospective actors will be auditioning for Shakespeare Royal Oak’s “Love’s Labors Lost,” which will be set at a college in the 1980s. Craig Ester will be directing his first show for the company.

“He’s got a really cool vision, and he’s worked with us before as an actor, and he’s done some really cool theater work as a director, and we’re just really glad to have him,” Shakespeare Royal Oak Executive Director Ed Nahhat said.

Ester said he’s excited to get the audition process underway.

“The cool thing about auditioning people is really finding those new talents from those different parts of our community that maybe don’t get a chance to do shows on this scale or get seen on this scale, and really sort of introducing them into our community,” he said. “Of course, we have our older favorites or people who have been around for a while, but we’re always excited … to introduce some newer, younger faces, in addition to bringing back some older faces that people may really love.”

The production will bow July 27 and run until Aug. 6 at Starr Jaycee Park. Nahhat said that usually after a festival is over, everyone is exhausted from the work, but that changes when a new year comes around.

“We’re just really excited about it and it’s so much fun to see professional outdoor Shakespeare in the park,” he said. “You can’t see that anywhere else in the state of Michigan. Those three words, ‘professional outdoor Shakespeare,’ the only place to see that is Royal Oak. There’s some other outdoor Shakespeare shows around the state, but none of them are professional outdoors. So we’re excited about it. … We hope that people are excited to come out and try out.”

Nahhat also noted that the production has opportunities open for people working backstage, if they’re interested.

For people looking to audition, Ester said his advice is to do a monologue that will show him who they are as actors.

“I think a lot of times actors get caught in, ‘I want to show that I’m funny or I want to show that I’m this way or that way.’ And the thing I’m looking to see is what do you feel, like, tells me who you are,” he said. “How do I get a clearer vision of that through the thing that you pick and then perform? And then have fun. You get to act, which you know not everybody gets to do every day, and it’s really special. So I just want them to really enjoy getting to act in the room that day.”

For more information, visit shakespeareroyaloak.com.