A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare

PLEASE NOTE :
These auditions are being held online – please DO NOT come to the theatre. Zoom details below.

Seventy years ago (in 1951) the Dell Theatre was opened by the then Hitchin Urban District Council (now NHDC) as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. The Council built the theatre for what they thought may just be a one-off occasion and the show was A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed for the Bancroft Players by Maurice Keeley, a local schoolteacher. In fact, the Bancroft Players went on to use the Dell Theatre for several years into the 1960s, presenting the gamut of Shakespearean comedies. When, the QMT was built and opened in 1983, the Dell had long grown into dis-use so it was left to the wonderful Rosemary Bianchi to lead the charge to get it re-opened, especially as the QMT was bang next door to the venue. And from the 1990s until about 2011 the BPs continued to use it each year.

After years of petitioning the local council and through the sterling efforts of Keith Hoskins and Judy Billing, the council have recently agreed to re-launch the venue and they have asked the Bancroft Players to open the new Dell with – what else – A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of this year’s Hitchin Festival.

It will be a whole-Bancroft Players production with Juniors, Big Spirit and the senior Society involved. To make the rehearsing easier we will rehearse in teams and each team will have a very experienced director leading it.

Team 1 – The Court

• Theseus – King of Athens
• Egeus – father of Hermia
• Hippolyta – Bride to Theseus
• Philostrate – master of revels

Team 2 – The Lovers

• Demetrius – a young swain
• Lysander – in love with Hermia
• Hermia – in love with Lysander
• Helena – in love with Demetrius

Team 3 – The Mechanicals

• Peter Quince – the troupe’s director
• Bottom – a weaver who is a bit of an ass
• Snug – a joiner
• Flute – a bellows-mender
• Snout – a tinker
• Starveling – a tailor

Team 4 –  The Fairy Folk

• Titania – Queen of the fairies
• Oberon – their King
• Puck – a mischievous sprite
• Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Moth – fairy folk

So there are many adult roles to be cast, guys. We are taking a gender-neutral approach so don’t be put off if you feel the wrong gender for a particular role – go for it!

The audition pieces will be put on the BP members FaceBook page by this weekend and the auditions will take place on Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on 5th and 6th May via Zoom.

• Weds 5th May Audition Zoom Link  – Meeting ID: 984 4416 5465  /  Passcode: 411298

• Thurs 6th May Audition Zoom Link  – Meeting ID: 929 3265 6229  /  Passcode: 049735

It’s going to be a big welcome back production for everyone so I want all of you to be part of it one way or another. Rehearsals start on Monday 17th May (first day back in the Theatre!). I will also send the pieces by email if you wish and you can contact me on bigspirittheatre@hotmail.com. And I will send them out.

As we are doing the play in modules, it will be super easy to rehearse, and you will only be called to rehearsals you are involved in with your particular team.

Performance dates: 29th-31st July 2021

Audition Dates

Rehearsals