Audition Registration

The Shawshank Redemption

ARTS Unlimited presents THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, directed by Vivian Zetwo

Seeking Non-Union actors, ages 21+. Performers of all ethnicities, backgrounds, gender identities, and levels of experience are welcome and encouraged to audition.

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AUDITIONS

*September 21 / 1:00 -5:00pm / Hart Memorial Library (Lillie Room), 211 East Dakin Ave, Kissimmee

*September 22 / 6:00 - 9:45pm / Windsor at Celebration (Celebration Room) / 1370 Celebration Blvd, Celebration

CALLBACKS will take place on September 23 from 7:00 - 10:00pm at the Windsor.

Please note that we will be holding auditions for this show, as well as The Importance of Being Earnest, at the same time. If you're interested in both shows, know that rehearsals will NOT conflict and you are welcome to audition for both (we will make the necessary accommodations).

IF INTERESTED IN BOTH SHOWS, PLEASE COMPLETE BOTH AUDITION REGISTRATIONS AND CHOOSE THE SAME DATE.

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VIRTUAL AUDITIONS

If you choose to submit a virtual audition, please choose a dramatic monologue of choice (the closer you can get to the tone and depth of Shawshank, the better).

Virtual auditions must be emailed to info@artsunlimitedllc.com no later than September 20. If considered for a role, you will be asked to attend callbacks on September 23.

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All actors are volunteers and will receive an Appreciation Stipend that will consist of donations, concession sales, and tip share.

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SHOW SYNOPSIS

When Andy Dufresne is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the notorious Shawshank prison, he must find a way to keep himself and his hope alive by using his wits and forging friendships. Based on the novella by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption brings the story of resilience made famous by the acclaimed film to the stage.

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CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

ANDY DUFRESNE, 30-40

Andy is a fish out of water who, despite the brutality and injustices he receives at Shawshank, this quiet, very intelligent, softly spoken man manages to retain his humanity and dignity, manipulate almost everyone in the Shank, exact his revenge on the warden, and break out by crawling through a sewer shitpipe five football fields long.

RED, 40-55

Before the Shank, Red worked as a salesman in his father-in-law's firm. At age 20, he married above his class to a spoiled wife and a father-in-law that treated him like skivvy. After having enough, he hatched a plan to claim on his wife's insurance, fixing the tires on her car, but killing his wife, a neighbor and her baby daughter. Red received 35 years in the Shank. Using his charms and sales techniques, he became "the guy who could get things," learning every trick in the book to survive the Shank.

WARDEN STAMMAS, 40-60

A man with a tight gut and the coldest eyes you ever saw, cruel and cold-hearted weasel of a man, always trying to get something for nothing. A scammer and a fraud, Stammas is a coward, a bully, and a cheating hypocrite, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

HADLEY, 35-45

The head prison guard at the Shank, there is not much subtlety to Hadley. He is in the pay of Stammas and paid to watch his back at all times. Not aware, Hadley is just as institutionalized as the cons on his landings. His position gives him power that he could never attain anywhere else. He is not the sharpest knife in the box and the rumor is he cannot read nor write.

BOGS DIAMOND, 30-40

A "sister" with a brooding expression, Bogs is a psychopath, full of smarts, charm, and humor. He is feared throughout the prison and sees Andy as a challenge, doing his best to break him.

BROOKSIE, 65-70

A college graduate in animal husbandry and a researcher for a pharmaceutical company, Brooksie had a promising future until he lost everything to poker (house, car, job). When his wife and daughter tried to leave him, he shot them both dead in a drunken rage. A model prisoner, he was in charge of the library trolley, a status that defined who he was inside the Shank.

ENTWISTLE, 30-40

Part of the furniture at the Shank, he's a "yes-sir, no-sir, three-bags-full sir" Jobsworth. He follows in Hadley's shadow, who treats him like a slave. Entwistle does have a heart and goes easy on the cons whenever possible.

ROOSTER, 30-40

Serving two life sentences for beating his stepson to death with a hammer when he threatened to tell his mother about Rooster's sexual advances. He hails from white "trailer trash" in Alabama, has been a drug addict all his life, and his denial to his attraction towards men manifests in sexual violence. Rooster never wants to leave the Shank and glories in the fact that he's Bogs Diamond's "sister" (slang for sexual partner).

RICO, 30-40

His father was a Pastor, his mother a former prostitute that was "saved" by his father's church. Rico is bipolar, married young, and has seven kids. Never able to hold a job, he was jailed for three years for robbing a gas station, got out, tried to hold a job but failed, and was evicted from his home. Before the bailiffs arrived, he set his home on fire and burned his whole family to death. Rico is now a born-again Christian.

TOMMY WILLIAMS, 21-25

At age 24, he is the youngest in the Shank and the best looking, which causes him problems with the "Sisters." He was raised in an orphanage and moved from foster family to foster family, never knowing his birth parents. Addicted to stealing, he eventually fell in love with Shirley who married him after he promised to go straight. They have a two-year-old baby. Tommy went back on his word and is doing three years in the Shank. A good kid at heart, he is desperate to better himself and become a good husband and father. Andy is a father figure to him, helping him with his studies.

DAWKINS, 35-45

Serving life for the murder of his two former associates, Dawkins has a short fuse and can be prone to violence but could be described as an ordinary decent criminal. He was married three times, twice to the same woman. He is obsessed with gambling and will bet on anything.

PINKY, 21+

Ensemble role that can represent anyone from any corner in the USA. He doubles as the prison cook.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED!