Drama & Behind the Scenes Camp

Ages 14-18
(Campers may be 19 if they graduated High School in May 2023)

Twelfth Night

“I am all the daughters of my father’s house,
And all the brothers too.”

Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love – hilarious and heartbreaking. Twins are separated in a shipwreck, and forced to fend for themselves in a strange land. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on OIivia, who falls for Viola but is idolised by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister…

Considered to be one of William Shakespeare’s greatest works and dubbed “The Perfect Comedy,” Twelfth Night has been entertaining audiences since its premiere performance in 1602.

Our Drama Camp now has two sections: Performance and Behind the Scenes! Learn more about each section below!

Drama Camp is for those who would like to perform in Twelfth Night. Students should register for this section (and pay a $20 Deposit) to secure their audition and then see the audition information below. This section requires an audition in order to participate. Following the auditions, tuition will be charges for those cast. If you are not cast, you will be offered the opportunity to enroll in Behind the Scenes Camp.

Behind the Scenes Camp will give students the opportunity to work on all the technical, backstage, and design elements. Campers will work with the directing team to take the production from design to the stage. Campers will meet with the directing team at a “Pre-Production Meeting” to begin collaborating on design for sets, costumes, props, and lights. The week of camp will be spent building and assembling all these elements, before transitioning to crew roles for the actual show. During the production, Behind the Scenes campers will serve as running crew, stage management, lighting crew, costumes crew, and more! This camp will give you a unique opportunity to work on the technical aspects of a production from their inception to their execution. Don’t miss out on building your portfolio as a theater technician, and getting a chance to work on this classic Shakespearian comedy!

Auditions

Register for this camp and pay a $20 Deposit if you are planning to audition for Twelfth Night. You must audition and be cast to attend this camp. After casting, you will be charged the remaining balance of Drama Camp Tuition.

Students who audition for Twelfth Night but are not cast will have the option to register for Behind the Scenes Camp.

Audition Information:
Auditions will be May 24, 2023 from 6-8PM.

Callbacks will be May 25, 2023 from 5-8PM.

Artistic Team
Director: Sarah Smeltzer Wright
Asst. Director: Will Wright
Technical Director: Becky Ochoa
Stage Manager: Molly Stasileuk

Production Coordinator: Brenda LaCour (brenda@firstactkc.org)

How to Audition:

Make sure you are enrolled in Drama Camp! A $20 deposit must be paid towards camp tuition in order to be eligible for auditions. All students cast in Twelfth Night will then be charged the remainder of the $325 Tuition. Students not cast in Twelfth Night will have the option to enroll in Behind the Scenes Camp.
Fill out the Twelfth Night Audition Form HERE.
Sign-Up for an Audition Time HERE.
Select an audition monologue from the options found HERE. Audition monologues must be memorized.

Questions? Reach out to Artistic Director Patrick Graham at artisticdirector@firstactkc.org

If you are unable to attend in-person auditions and would like to submit a video audition, please send send your video audition to artisticdirector@firstactkc.org. Your video audition should a recording of you performing your audition monologue. There is a signup for video auditions at the bottom of the Signup Genius.

Audition Tips

First Act Theatre Arts does require the monologues to be memorized.
Be as familiar with the play and the characters as is possible! You can find a copy of the script online.
Be confident — even if you have never done this before. But also be humble!

Make bold choices — you need to show us your stuff. Don’t just stand and read. Begin by introducing yourself and your audition pieces. We realize that virtually everyone is doing the same pieces, but it is good practice to do the introduction the right way.
Don’t look at the camera when you are auditioning. It is not your scene partner. Pick a spot just next to the camera on which to focus.
You will be nervous. That is a good thing. The key is to channel your nerves into good positive energy. It is important to remember that directors want you to be great.

Character Breakdown

Viola – A young woman who is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria. She disguises herself as a young man called Cesario and goes to work for Orsino.

Olivia – A wealthy heiress in Illyria. Her father and brother have recently died. Without any close family, she is in charge of her household and can decide for herself who she marries.

Sebastian – Viola’s twin brother. He was rescued from the shipwreck by Antonio and believes his sister drowned at sea.

Orsino – A Duke and the governor of Illyria. He is in love with Olivia even though she is not interested in him.

Malvolio – Olivia’s steward and the manager of her household. He dislikes Sir Toby’s drunken behavior and dreams of marrying Olivia.

Sir Toby Belch – Related to Olivia and lives in her house. Enjoys drinking and playing tricks on people. Olivia has little respect for him.

Sir Andrew – Staying with his friend Sir Toby and hopes to marry Olivia. He is very wealthy.

Maria – Olivia’s maid. She looks out for Sir Toby and tries to impress him.

Feste – Olivia’s jester, or fool. Worked for Olivia’s father and sometimes works for Orsino.

Antonio – A sea captain. He rescued Sebastian from the shipwreck and follows him when they arrive in Illyria.

Fabian – A servant in Olivia’s household.

Valentine & Curio – gentlemen attending on the Duke.