The Cowichan Valley Shakespeare Festival has now reached it’s teenage years as it turns 13 in 2024.
The Shawnigan Players bring the words of the Bard to life each year with their outdoor festival at the Gem O’ the Isle farm with a special sneak peak in the heart of Duncan during the 39 Days of July. Last year Alex Gallacher directed All’s Well That Ends Well while Laura Faulkner mixed things up with her take on Hamlet, which she brought inside the walls of the intimate Duncan Showroom.
READ MORE: Review: ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ beautifully done by Shawnigan Players
The offerings for the the 13th season of the festival will include Love’s Labour’s Lost, Henry IV Part 1, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona — and the directors ready to take on these works will be holding auditions starting this weekend to decide which two shows will make this year’s cut.
Rob Foell is set to direct his first show for the festival with Love’s Labour’s Lost, which tells the story of three noble lads who dedicate themselves to their royal comrade’s aspirations. Their lofty plans go awry when four noble lasses enter the picture to match wits with them. Alex Gallacher will be donning his director’s cap again this year for either Henry IV Part 1 or The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and will decide which play is most feasible based on the audition process.
In Henry IV, young Prince Hal is squandering his talents with roistering friends such as the lovable rogue Falstaff. Will Hal abandon his cronies and defend his father the king his against the exuberant young rebel Henry Hotspur — both Hal and Hotspur may be played by young women or men. In The Two Gentlemen of Verona, friends Valentine and Proteus vie for the affections of Silvia and Julia in a complex romantic comedy, complete with unrequited love and desperate disguises.
Auditions will be held on Feb. 17 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Hub in Cowichan Station, and on Feb. 19 or Feb. 22 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Clements Centre. No need to prepare anything, just be yourself — actors need only attend one audition but can attend more if they like.
