"SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD"
A Comedy by Ken Ludwig

FALL PLAY 2008

• Directed by: Barbara Ridenour
• Auditions: 4 to 6 p.m. Monday & Tuesday, Sept. 15 & 16, North Attic
• Performances: 7 p.m. Nov. 6,
  7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, North Attic Playhouse

AFTER A LOT of deliberation, a fall play has finally been selected, and auditions are set for Monday and Tuesday in the North Attic from 4 to 6 p.m.

The play, "Shakespeare in Hollywood," written by Ken Ludwig, is a fantasy comedy set in old Hollywood as director Max Reinhardt films his 1935 version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Oberon and Puck, two fairies from the story, have come to life and are cast as themselves in the movie. Armed with their magical flower, they inadvertently cause everyone on set to fall in love with each other.

The cast includes many real-life characters, including gossip columnist Louella Parsons, movie star Jimmy Cagney, studio mogul Jack Warner, infamous censor Will Hays, and more.

For anyone who would like to get a preview of the play, a portion of the script can be found here. There is also a full copy on reserve in the library. The play was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered in 2003 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

"I may have enjoyed writing this play more than any other I’ve ever written," Ludwig said in the forward to his play. "An academic at heart, I loved the research; to me, Hollywood in the 1930s is the bee’s knees; and as a Shakespeare addict to end all addicts, I loved living for a few months with Oberon and Puck."

In an e-mail to the school, director Barbara Ridenour said that in terms of actors, she was looking for "some who look like movie stars, some who are funny, and all who are nice and willing to work hard."

There are quite a few parts for both girls and boys, especially girls willing to play boys. However, regardless of your gender, physical appearance, or even acting ability, everyone is encouraged to try out.

The script is a fairly complicated one, requiring a large number of sets and props and some special effects, but senior Lor Sligar, who has been heavily involved in the last four Uni fall plays, is optimistic.

"I think it's going to be really tough to pull off," she says, "but we always think that, and we always do just fine."

The fall play will be performed in the North Attic Playhouse at 7 p.m. Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8.

Last year's fall play was "The Diary of Anne Frank," and the spring play was "Much Ado About Nothing."

"SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD" AT A GLANCE

• Author: Ken Ludwig, an American playwright and theater director best known for his light comedies

• Premiere: Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the comedy debuted in 2003 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

• Awards: "Shakespeare in Hollywood" won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Play of the Year from the Washington Theatre Awards Society; Ludwig himself has been nominated for two Tony Awards and won a Laurence Olivier Award from the Society of London Theatre

• Cast of Characters: Oberson, Puck, Jack Warner, Max Reinhardt, Will Hays, Daryl, Olivia Darnell, Lydia Lansing, Louella Parsons, Dick Powell, Jimmy Cagney, Joe E. Brown

• Cast Notes: Ken Ludwig wrote in the original script: "The play is written for 12 actors, four women and eight men. The actors playing Hays, Brown, Cagney, Powell and Daryl double as Albert, Harry, Sam, Groucho, Tarzan and the Cowboy. If extra actors are available, they can play movie stars at the opening of the play, cameramen, seamstresses, etc."

• Synopsis: From Ken Ludwig's official site: "It's 1934, and Shakespeare's most famous fairies, Oberon and Puck, have magically materialized on the Warner Bros. Hollywood set of Max Reinhardt's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Instantly smitten by the glitz and glamour of show biz, the two are ushered onto the silver screen to play (who else?) themselves. With a little help from a feisty flower, blonde bombshells, movie moguls, and arrogant 'asses' are tossed into loopy love triangles, with raucous results."