The Clark State Community College Theatre Arts program will hold auditions for The Lion in Winter at 7 p.m., January 29 and 30 in the Turner Studio Theatre at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, 300 South Fountain Avenue in downtown Springfield.
The Lion in Winter is a family drama set in 1183 at the court of Henry II and was written by James Goldman.
“The directors and I had many brainstorming sessions,” said Theresa Lauricella, associate professor of theatre and program coordinator for theatre arts at Clark State. “The main consideration is to provide the students with a wide-range of stories and characters and styles of theatre to explore.”
The Lion in Winter will be directed by Scott Stoney who is a founding member and resident artist at the Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton and a member Actors' Equity Association.
“Having played the role of Henry several years ago, I’m looking forward to directing this production because I really love the dynamic between all of the characters,” said Stoney. “Their interaction is very contemporary even though they’re drawn from historical figures. There is much humor in the way they try to one-up each other. The plot is very much like a chess game with soap-opera dramatics.”
Sibling rivalry, adultery and dungeons – The Lion in Winter is a modern-day classic. Comedic in tone, dramatic in action - the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family, who are locked in a free-for-all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wealthiest woman in the world, has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King Henry II. Let out only for holidays, the play centers around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they fight over both a kingdom and King Henry’s paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says, “Every family has its ups and downs,” and this family is no exception.
Actors should prepare a one-minute contemporary monologue and bring a headshot and resume to the audition.
The Lion in Winter is slated for performance at 8 p.m. April 5, 6, 12 and 13; and 2 p.m. April 7 and 14 in the Turner Studio Theatre.
The Clark State Theatre Arts program is offered at Clark State's Springfield campus.
Performance majors focus on acting, voice, movement and general education theatre topics like theatre history and script analysis. Performance students will most likely transfer to a university program with a performance focus or may choose a non-technical theatre area of study like playwriting or directing.
Students have the opportunity to perform in theatrical productions each semester in either the Turner Studio Theatre or Kuss Auditorium located in the Clark State Performing Arts Center. Students majoring in Performance must audition for program productions as part of their coursework.