OPEN AUDITIONS: Majesticpiece Theatre presents Gallathea

Gallathea

By John Lyly

Directed and adapted by Brandon Urey for the digital stage

Dress rehearsal: Friday, January 15 at 7:00pm

Rehearsal: Tuesday, January 12 at 7:00pm

Readthrough: Wednesday, January 6 at 7:00pm

Performed: Saturday, January 16 at 7:30pm on live online

The Majestic Theatre (a division of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation department) is

committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a safe place for actors of all

backgrounds to explore their craft. We are particularly eager to work with artists of color and

other artists from marginalized communities. All auditions are free and open to the public. This

audition is for an amateur, volunteer production. The Majestic Theatre staff and volunteers do

not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, gender, ethnic background, disability,

religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.

SHOW TYPE

Majesticpiece Theatre - This show will be rehearsed and performed using the Zoom platform and will have no in-person meetings, rehearsals, or performances. The performance will be presented via Facebook Livestreaming and Vimeo Livestreaming.

FROM THE DIRECTOR Brandon Urey

Lyly’s Gallathea is as delightful as it is bizarre, featuring Roman Gods and peasants with Greek

names running around the English countryside and an entertainingly extraneous subplot about a

couple of schmucks job hunting in all the worst places. Moreover, through his story Lyly asserts

the sovereignty of love above all else, including gender, an unusual but welcome opinion for a

16th century playwright.

SHOW SYNOPSIS

Every five years, the god Neptune demands a virgin sacrifice from a small village in

Lincolnshire. Two shepherds hatch a “cunning” plot to disguise their daughters Gallathea and

Phillipa as men, and thus save them from the jaws of Neptune’s beast, the Agar. However, the

only ones falling for this ruse are Gallathea and Phillipa themselves, who fall madly in love with

each other. Their blossoming romance becomes the battleground for a feud between Diana, the

goddess of chastity, and Cupid, the god of desire.

PREPARATION NOTES

Please choose ONE of the following sides. Record a video on your phone or computer of you

reading the side, and email it to privateerbmu@gmail.com by 5PM on Monday, January 4th.

Feel free to include what role you’re interested in within the body of the email. Some guidelines:

- Perform while seated, trying to frame yourself from the shoulders up. This is what you’ll look

like in the video chat during the performance, so we’ll want to see how well you can emote in

this limited space.

- Props and costume pieces are encouraged! Whatever you have lying around. Just keep in

mind that we can only see your torso and head!

- Actors of any gender, age, race, or ability are invited to audition for any role. We will be casting

11-17 performers and one Emergency Backup Actor, an understudy for all roles who can hop

into the digital performance at any time to cover for another actor who might be experiencing

technical difficulties.

-In order to participate in the performance, you’ll need a stable internet connection; a

smartphone, computer, or tablet that can run Zoom; and a pair of headphones.

-If you have any questions, feel free to email and ask!

CHARACTERS

All characters do not have a specific race or ethnic background; we're excited to see a diverse

pool of actors audition for all roles.

Narrator

Character Age: Any

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Romance enthusiast. Tries to present a refined, cultured front that cracks almost

immediately in the face of a cute couple or a confusing plotline.

Tyterus

Character Age: 40s - 50s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A Lincolnshire shepherd, trying to save his daughter Gallathea from being sacrificed

to Neptune.

Gallathea

Character Age: 18 - 23

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Female

Character: Daughter of Tyterus and “fair virgin,” disguised as “Tyterus Jr.” by her father. Falls in

love with a similarly disguised Phillida.

Melebeus

Character Age: 40s - 60s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Another shepherd, father of Phillida, who comes up with the same harebrained

scheme as Tyterus.

Phillida

Character Age: 18 - 23

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Female

Character: The other “fairest virgin” in Lincolnshire, in disguise as “Melebeus Jr.” Falls in love

with “Tyterus Jr.,’” aka Gallathea.

Venus

Character Age: Ageless, appears in her mid 20s – early 40s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Roman Deity

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Goddess of love and mother of Cupid. Trying to rescue her son from Diana’s

captivity and make peace between her high-strung relations.

Cupid

Character Age: Slightly younger than the other gods, appears in his late teens – early 20s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Roman Deity

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Impish god of desire, attraction and affection. Equally invested in annoying Diana

and promoting true love in all its forms.

Neptune

Character Age: Ageless, appears in his mid 30s – late 40s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Roman Deity

Desired Actor Gender: Male

Character: Prickly and prideful god of the sea. Demands a virgin sacrifice from the people of

Lincolnshire every five years as penance for blasphemy. Has a well-hidden soft spot for his

family.

Diana

Character Age: Ageless, appears in her mid 20s – early 30s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Roman Deity

Desired Actor Gender: Female

Character: Goddess of virginity and the hunt. Deeply irritated with Cupid for instilling desire in

her followers.

Telusa, Eurota, Ramia, and Larissa

Character Age: Early 20s – early 50s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Nymph

Desired Actor Gender: Female

Character: The nymphs of Diana, sworn to the hunt and vows of chastity, which Cupid would

love for them to break. Four separate roles.

Hebe

Character Age: Mid 20s – late 30s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A somewhat-less-fair virgin of Lincolnshire, who is desperate for attention.

Augur

Character Age: 40s – 60s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A local priest responsible for facilitating the sacrifice demanded by Neptune.

Rafe

Character Age: 18 – late 20s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A rather dim young man in search of a career, going from one dead end job to the

next.

Robin and Dick

Character Age: 18 – late 20s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Rafe’s brothers, whose luck is about on par with that of their sibling. Two separate

roles

Mariner

Character Age: 40s – 50s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A salty old dog fed up with their hapless midshipmen, aka Rafe, Robin and Dick.

Alchemist

Character Age: 40s -50s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Grandiose pseudoscientist who couldn’t transmute ice into water.

Peter

Character Age: Early to late 20s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Former apprentice to the Alchemist. Crafty and a smooth talker.

Astronomer

Character Age: 40s – 50s

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: Professional stargazer with their head in the clouds.

Villagers 1 and 2

Character Age: Any

Character Race: Any

Character Ethnicity: Any

Desired Actor Gender: Any

Character: A couple of Lincolnshire yokels.

SIDES

Narrator

Ahh, greetings gentle viewer! May I welcome you to this most excellent temple to affairs of the

human heart, or as I like to call it… my library. TONIGHT, I bring you a tale of gods, monsters,

soul-crushing job searches, and a love between two women strong enough to sway the

Olympians themselves! *shrieks delightedly*

Tyterus

In times past, where thou seest a heap of small pebbles, stood a stately Temple of white

marble, which was dedicated to the God of the Sea (and in right, being so near the sea). Hither

came all such as ventured by long travel to get safety by water; yielding thanks for perils past

and making prayers for good success to come; but as the people [changed] their custom, who

instead of sacrifice committed sacrilege, instead of religion, rebellion, tearing down the Temple

[and] enrag[ing] so the God who binds the winds in the hollows of the earth, that he caused the

seas to break their bounds, sith men had broke their vows, and to swell as far above their reach

as men had swerved beyond their reason. Then might you see ships sail where sheep fed,

anchors cast where plows go, and monstrous mermaids instead of passing fair maids.

Gallathea

How now, Gallathea? Miserable Gallathea, that having put on the apparel of a boy, thou canst

[not] also put on the mind. O, fair Melebeus! Aye, too fair, and therefore, I fear, too proud. Had it

not been better for thee to have been a sacrifice to Neptune than a slave to Cupid? To die for

thy country, then to live in thy fancy? O, would when I hunted his eye with my heart, he might

have seen my heart with his eyes. Why did Nature to him -- a boy! -- give a face so fair, or to

me, a virgin, a fortune so hard? It may be Gallathea...foolish Gallathea, what may be? Nothing.

Let me follow him into the woods, and thou, sweet Venus, be my guide.

Venus

Scars, Diana? Call you them that I know to be bleeding wounds? Alas, weak deity, Love’s

wounds, when they seem greene, rankle, and having a smooth skin without, fester to the death

within. Therefore, Neptune, if ever Venus stood thee in stead, furthered thy fancies, or shall at

all times be at thy command, let either Diana bring her Virgins to a continual massacre or

release Cupid of his martyrdom.

Cupid

Aye, but it skilleth not. I bear now mine arrows in mine eyes, my wings on my thoughts, my

brands in mine eares, my bow in my mouth, so as I can wound with looking, fly with thinking,

burn with hearing, shoot with speaking.

Neptune

Do silly shepherds go about to deceive great Neptune in putting on man’s attire upon women?

And Cupid, to make sport, deceive them all by using a woman’s apparel upon a God? Then,

Neptune, that hast taken sundry shapes to obtain love, stick not to practise some deceit to show

thy deity, and having often thrust thyself into the shape of beasts to deceive men, be not coy to

use the shape of a shepherd to show thyself a God. I will into these woods and mark all, and in

the end will mar all.

Diana

Now, ladies, what greater dishonor could happen to Diana or to her nymphs’ shame that should

make their heads so addle? Shall it be said, and shall Venus say it? Nay, shall it be seen, and

shall wantons see it? That Diana, the goddess of chastity, whose thoughts are always

answerable to her vows, whose eyes never glanced on desire, and whose heart abateth the

point of Cupid’s arrows, shall have her virgins to become unchaste in desires, immoderate in

affection, untemperate in love, in foolish love, in base love. And how is your love placed? Upon

pelting boys, perhaps base of birth, without doubt weak of discretion. Aye, but they are fair!. O,

ladies, Is Diana’s chase become Venus’ court?

Rafe

O fortune! I feel my very brains moralized, and as it were, a certain contempt of earthly actions

is crept into my mind by an ethereal contemplation. Come, let us in.

---

Submit your audition materials by 5:00 PM, Monday January 4th by emailing privateerbmu@gmail.com

Record a video on your phone or computer of you reading the side. Please choose ONE of the following sides to email. Feel free to include what role you’re interested in within the body of the email.