09/23/2026
Auditions for Richard II
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ethan Clarkewallis
Greenbelt Arts Center.
September 22 & 24. 8-10pm
What is a king? More importantly, what is a good king? It’s certainly not Richard. In this adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s histories, Richard is the head of a prolific mafia family that runs its operation out of an Italian restaurant. His volatile moods and frivolous spending are enough to garner distaste among the vox populi, but for many uncles and cousins, a fondness for Richard’s late father is enough to absolve Richard. However, the suspicious death of his Uncle Gloucester and the downright damning death of Uncle Gaunt are enough to stoke the fires of rebellion.
Those who suffer most under Richard’s power have little recourse to unseat him by themselves. Fortunately, Bolingbroke, Gaunt’s son and Richard’s cousin, has returned from banishment to claim his father’s fortune. He becomes the perfect tool to unseat the current tyrant: He is popular, he is persuasive, and he is not Richard.
The Rude Mechanicals present Richard II as a rumination on family, loyalty, and the cycle of violence in the style of movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas.
Auditions will be held on Tuesday September 22nd and Thursday September 24th from 8pm-10pm at the Greenbelt Arts Center (123 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770). Auditions will consist of reading provided sides. Headshots and resumes are welcome but not required. You may attend either audition day. No appointments are required and no callbacks are expected.
Rehearsals will be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8pm-10pm and will take place in Greenbelt.
Performances of Richard II will take place January 29th-February 6th with a 2pm Sunday matinee and a Thursday pay-what-you-will night(6 performances total).
