AUDITIONS FOR ISU THEATRE’S FIXING TROILUS AND CRESSIDA
By Kirk Lynn
Based on Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
Director—Cason Murphy
Production Stage Manager—Callie Server
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Rehearsals will begin the week of February 10, 2025, and will generally rehearse Monday–Friday evenings. No rehearsals during Spring Break. Technical rehearsals begin early April 2025, and performances will be April 17 – April 19, 2025.
AUDITION DETAILS
ISU Theatre will hold auditions for Kirk Lynn’s Fixing Troilus and Cressida in Carver 308 on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024 from 6:00pm-10:00pm.
- These auditions will be held jointly with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. You may choose to audition for one or both productions during your audition. See separate audition details for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
- Sign up online at Sign Up Genius, at Theatre.iastate.edu, or use the QR code. You only need to sign up for one audition slot, even if auditioning for both productions.
- ·You will sign up for a 30-minute time slot, but you will be seen individually within that time period.
- Callbacks will be held Friday, November 15, as needed.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Fixing Troilus & Cressida is an updated version of Shakespeare’s play written in contemporary English – including the curse words. Troilus and Cressida is the love story hidden in the center of history’s greatest war. As the Greeks enter their seventh year of hammering against the Trojan’s wall, one young warrior, Troilus, is ready to risk it all and pledge his loyalty to a new love Cressida. The relationship is nurtured by the matchmaker, Pandarini, who advises, scolds, and pushes the lovers to trust one another. Around them war and chaos burn, Hector rages, Ulysses plots, Achilles stalls, Agamomnem tries to keep it all together, and Cassandra foresees death. Copies of Fixing Troilus & Cressida are available in hard copy or digital format for all auditioners to read. Hard copies may be checked out from 310 Carver Hall.
Advisory: Contains adult language and content.
ROLES AVAILABLE
This production is committed to diverse, inclusive casting. Every auditionee will be considered for every role (see list of roles below).
- HELEN (female-presenting), the long-dressed daughter of a noble house; a stolen prize; a woman with something to get off her chest after millennia of silence
- HECTOR (male-presenting), the oldest of Priam; storied hero; bold, brash, but a good big brother to:
- PARIS (male-presenting), the middlest brother; a bit of a peacock; confident; devoted to Helen to:
- TROILUS (male-presenting), the littlest brother; looking for something or someone that will give him purpose;
- CASSANDRA (female-presenting), their little sister no one listens to but always ends up being right; a prophetess whose dark visions always bring the mood down
- CRESSIDA (female-presenting), a young Trojan woman ready for love and life; niece to:
- PANDARINI (female-presenting), an auntie who just wants to play matchmaker; sister to:
- CALCHUS (male-presenting), a defector; the king of CYA; another prophet who also says that Troy will fall.
- AGAMOMNEM (female-presenting), the HBIC, the head honcha, the general mother of the Greek cause; a woman in power in a man’s world and all that comes with that;
- ULYSSES (male-presenting), the smartest man in the world; oh so cunning;
- ACHILLES (male-presenting), a titan of a man; a demigod war machine that cannot get revved up right now; oh so hesitant;
- PATROCLUS (male-presenting), Achilles’ partner; a little naïve but oh so loving.
WHAT TO PREPARE
For Fixing Troilus & Cressida, please prepare the following two pieces of text (memorization preferred, but not required):
- 1-2 minute monologue from any contemporary play AND
- One of the Shakespearean monologues below . You may choose any you’d like for any character…but suggestions are given for possible character groupings)
Please bring headshot and theatrical resume, if available.
[For TROILUS/PARIS/PATROCLUS]
TROILUS
O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus,--
When I do tell thee, there my hopes lie drown'd,
Reply not in how many fathoms deep
They lie indrench'd. I tell thee I am mad
In Cressid's love: thou answer'st 'she is fair;'
Pour'st in the open ulcer of my heart
Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her gait, her voice,
Handlest in thy discourse, O, that her hand,
In whose comparison all whites are ink,
Writing their own reproach, to whose soft seizure
The cygnet's down is harsh and spirit of sense
Hard as the palm of ploughman: this thou tell'st me,
As true thou tell'st me, when I say I love her;
But, saying thus, instead of oil and balm,
Thou lay'st in every gash that love hath given me
The knife that made it.
[For CRESSIDA/HELEN]
CRESSIDA
Boldness comes to me now, and brings me heart:
Prince Troilus, I have lov’d you night and day
For many weary months.
Hard to seem won; but I was won, my lord,
With the first glance that ever – Pardon me:
If I confess much you will play the tyrant.
I love you now, but till now not so much
But I might master it. In faith I lie –
My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown
Too headstrong for their mother. – See, we fools!
Why have I blabb’d? Who shall be true to us
When we are so unsecret to ourselves? –
But though I lov’d you well, I woo’d you not;
And yet, good faith, I wish’d myself a man,
Or that we women had men’s privilege
Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue,
For in this rapture I shall surely speak
The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence,
Cunning in dumbness, from my weak draws
My very soul of counsel. Stop my mouth.
[For ULYSSES/PANDARINI/CALCHUS/ CASSANDRA]
ULYSSES
What glory our Achilles shares from Hector,
Were he not proud, we all should share with him:
But he already is too insolent;
And we were better parch in Afric sun
Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes,
Should he 'scape Hector fair: if he were foil'd,
Why then, we did our main opinion crush
In taint of our best man. No, make a lottery;
And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw
The sort to fight with Hector: among ourselves
Give him allowance for the better man;
For that will physic the great Myrmidon
Who broils in loud applause, and make him fall
His crest that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We'll dress him up in voices: if he fail,
Yet go we under our opinion still
That we have better men. But, hit or miss,
Our project's life this shape of sense assumes:
Ajax employ'd plucks down Achilles' plumes.
[For AGAMOMNEM/ACHILLES/HECTOR]
AGAMEMNON
Hear you, Patroclus:
We are too well acquainted with these answers:
But his evasion, wing'd thus swift with scorn,
Cannot outfly our apprehensions.
Much attribute he hath, and much the reason
Why we ascribe it to him; yet all his virtues,
Not virtuously on his own part beheld,
Do in our eyes begin to lose their gloss,
Yea, like fair fruit in an unwholesome dish,
Are like to rot untasted. Go and tell him,
We come to speak with him; and you shall not sin,
If you do say we think him over-proud
And under-honest, in self-assumption greater
Than in the note of judgment; and worthier than himself
Here tend the savage strangeness he puts on,
Disguise the holy strength of their command,
And underwrite in an observing kind
His humorous predominance; yea, watch
His pettish lunes, his ebbs, his flows, as if
The passage and whole carriage of this action
Rode on his tide. Go tell him this, and add,
That if he overhold his price so much,
We'll none of him; but let him, like an engine
Not portable, lie under this report:
'Bring action hither, this cannot go to war:
A stirring dwarf we do allowance give
Before a sleeping giant.' Tell him so.
CREDIT AVAILABILITY
2-3 Credits of Theatre 3010x available.
Questions? Email isutheatre@iastate.edu or director, Cason Murphy, at cwmurphy@iastate.edu