Pursued by a Bear Shakespeare Troupe

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Pursued by a Bear Shakespeare Troupe

We're a traveling Shakespeare Troupe located in the Jacksonville/Saint Augustine area.

08/05/2023

We are incredibly excited to announce our amazing cast for our first production, A Midsummer Night's Dream! This production has been nearly a year in the making and we couldn't have asked for a more talented and wonderful cast!

07/15/2023

Please note that we will not be having callbacks for Midsummer tomorrow as we held them at the end of auditions today.

07/03/2023

In partnership with Limelight Theatre: Shakespeare in the Park-ing Lot, presented by Pursued by a Bear Shakespeare Troupe

IMPORTANT: In addition to the auditions listed below, we will also be using this audition time to choose actors for a special event in September in association with Limelight Theatre and Arts Ambassadors. Even if you cannot commit to January's show or see no roles you are interested in, we highly encourage you to come audition for this event.

Auditions: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare
Directed by: Cole Marshall

Saturday, July 15th at 1pm with callbacks at a time TBD

Location:
Limelight Theatre
11 Old Mission Ave.
St. Augustine, FL 32084

Please prepare a 2 - 3 minute Shakespearean monologue for the audition.

*If you cannot make it to Saturday's audition but are interested in auditioning, we will be accepting video submissions at [email protected].

We will be considering performers of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, and physical abilities for all available roles.

Production dates are January 5 - 7, 2024.

Because this project started over a year ago before our company was formed, we anticipated having to cast the show on our own. Fortunately, we have seen a lot of interest since the official announcement of our troupe. That said, our priority lies with honoring the agreements we made with any actors who were originally offered parts, and as such, not all roles are available. See below for a list of available characters and their individual breakdowns:

AVAILABLE CHARACTERS:

TITANIA: 30s - 60s, Queen of the Fairies, she has existed for millennia and has been married to Oberon for all that time. She reigns over a seemingly infinite number of fairies and is much beloved by her subjects. Though at her core, she is full of life and a vibrant presence, constant squabbles and bickering between her and Oberon in (relatively) recent centuries, has dulled her excitement for life and she longs for a reawakening in their relationship. When she loves, she loves hard.

THESEUS: 40s - 50s, Duke of Athens who is four days away from marrying his fiancée, Hippolyta. He is an infamously powerful warrior who led the Athenians in many a victory, most recently against the Amazonians. Despite his gruff exterior, he has taken swimmingly to a role in politics, and treats his subjects with kindness – yet not at the expense of objectivity.

HIPPOLYTA: 30 - 50s, Queen of the Amazonians, and almost-wife to Theseus, the Duke of Athens. Despite having conquered her people, Theseus so impressed her with his martial prowess that she agreed to marry him. She is a capable fighter in her own right, but has given in to a life of luxury in Athens and takes any occasion to imbibe in the joys of her new existence.

EGEUS: 40s - 60s, Father to Hermia, he has prearranged a marriage for her with the seemingly honorable, Demetrius. When Hermia rejects his wishes and expresses interest in marrying the less desirable Lysander, he is forced to go to Theseus for intervention. Though he wants what’s best for his daughter, he is overwhelmingly stubborn and incapable of seeing her point of view.

LYSANDER: late teens - 20s, A young suitor to Hermia, he is a bit flighty and has his head in the clouds. Despite the wishes of Hermia’s father and the Duke of Athens, he is unwilling to give up his love for Hermia, to the point that he risks his life by escaping with her to the woods outside of Athens. While his noble heritage is as valid as any other, he lacks in the ways of diplomacy and always listens to his heart before his head.

DEMETRIUS: late teens - 20s, A desirable young man and suitor to Hermia. He is Egeus’s choice for Hermia, but she does not share these sentiments. Nonetheless, he has decided to continue his pursuit for her hand, despite his previously established romance with Helena. He has a bit of a violent streak and tends to care more about what he believes he’s owed than the whims of the heart.

PETER QUINCE: 20s - 70s, Athenian carpenter and the playwright of an amateur adaptation of Pyramus and Thisbe, set to be performed for the Duke. He has no previous experience in acting or writing, but is passionate about creating a memorable experience for Theseus’ wedding. He is somewhat uptight and has trouble seeing others’ perspectives, yet he is the leader of the troupe of mechanicals and does his best to bring out their respective creative strengths.

FRANCIS FLUTE: 20s - 30s, Athenian bellows-mender and volunteer for Peter Quince’s production of Pyramus and Thisbe, set to be performed for the Duke. He has no previous experience in acting, but throws himself fully into the experience. Unfortunately, his slight form and meek demeanor lead to Peter casting him as Thisbe, the female romantic lead.

PHILOSTRATE: 20s - 70s, Aide to the Duke of Athens and coordinator of the entertainment on the day of the Duke’s wedding. He is desperate to please the Duke, but also afraid to defy him.

*Artwork by Emily Layt

07/03/2023

We are incredibly happy to announce our first production, in partnership with Limelight Theatre!

Shakespeare in the Parking-Lot presented by Pursued by a Bear Shakespeare Troupe:

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

We will also be organizing a special event in September in association with Limelight Theatre and Arts Ambassadors!

Be on the lookout for audition details around noon today!

*Artwork by Emily Layt

07/01/2023

Stay tuned. Details to come on Monday!

07/01/2023

Stay tuned. Details to come on Monday!

05/06/2023

And for that, we thank you 🎭

04/23/2023

Happy birthday, William Shakespeare!!!

William Shakespeare was born on this day 459 years ago in the little town of Stratford-Upon-Avon. Join us in wishing a very happy birthday to the Bard himself! 🎉🎉🎉

03/28/2023

Happy World Theatre Day! From our troupe to you, HUZZAH! 🎭

03/27/2023

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.
-Sonnet 30, William Shakespeare

Connect and share! HUZZAH! 🎭

03/15/2023

Beware the Ides of March!

Did you know that 2,067 years ago today, Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by his fellow senators at a Senate meeting on March 15th, 44 B.C.E? Years later in 1600, William Shakespeare wrote "Julius Caesar", in which the famous line was uttered by the dictator himself: "Et tu, Brute?"

12/23/2022

‼️FLASHBACK FRIDAY‼️

Check it out! While all of our founding members are very familiar with the Bard, we managed to dig up some old photos of Danielle and Emily in Shakespearean productions!

Danielle, pictured upper left and lower right, was a part of a show called “Suds and Shakespeare” with Creative Veins, where the cast members got intoxicated and performed various scenes from Shakespeare’s works.

Emily, took part in multiple Shakespearean productions in her time at the University of Central Missouri. She played Mistress Ford (upper right) in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and Lady Macbeth (lower left) in a film noir-inspired production of “Macbeth”.

12/05/2022

MEET THE TEAM: Introducing Danielle Dobies, our fourth and final founder and our Finance & Operations Manager!

Danielle is ecstatic to join Pursued by a Bear as a founding member to bring the Bard to the region. As an English major in college, Danielle studied and enjoyed performing Shakespeare’s works and how the themes have transcended time periods to remain just as relevant and entertaining now as they were then. Her Shakespeare performance experience includes Hippolyta in a modern adaptation of Midsummer, various intoxicated scenes for Suds & Shakespeare at Creative Veins, and studying dramatic monologues with Julia Carey of the National Theatre in the UK.

She was seen most recently on stage at the Limelight Theatre in Big Fish and Parade. In the past, she has performed at the 5 & Dime, Theatre Jacksonville, Clamour Theatre, Creative Veins, Rising Tide Productions, and in various Jason Woods productions. On screen, she can be seen in the award-winning film Genre by Royce Freeman. She has also puppeteered and performed stand-up comedy.

In her non-stage life, she is a Registered Nurse and mother to a precocious future actor. She'd like to thank her family for their support and love while she gets to play dress up and share these stories.

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13759719/

12/02/2022

MEET THE TEAM: Meet Emily Layt, one of our founders and the Marketing Director for PBAB!

Emily Layt is a Shakespeare lover, through and through, and she is elated to be a part of such an exciting venture with such exceptional people! Emily is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri BFA Theatre Performance Program, where she had the opportunity to study Shakespeare in depth. While there, she performed in several Shakespeare projects, most notably including Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor. In 2021, she was awarded with a Recognition in Classical Acting at the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her Hermione monologue from A Winter’s Tale. She is thrilled to get started with this exciting project to bring Shakespeare to the St. Augustine & Jacksonville area!

12/02/2022

11/29/2022

MEET THE TEAM: Meet Jonathan O’Leary, another of our founding members and our Technical Director!

Jonathan Oleary is thrilled to be a part of PBAB. He has always had a love and passion for Shakespeare. Having worked in the Theatre for over 20 years he can trace his passion back to his freshman year of High school when he performed a monologue from Henry V for his English class. Today, when he is not working with local community theaters he gets to enjoy the monologues of his students as the Drama teacher for Atlantic Coast High School. Favorite Shakespeare plays include Othello, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing.

11/29/2022

MEET THE TEAM: Meet Jonathan O’Leary, one of our founders and Technical Director!

Jonathan O’Leary is thrilled to be a part of PBAB. He has always had a love and passion for Shakespeare. Having worked in the Theatre for over 20 years he can trace his passion back to his freshman year of High school when he performed a monologue from Henry V for his English class. Today, when he is not working with local community theaters he gets to enjoy the monologues of his students as the Drama teacher for Atlantic Coast High School. Favorite Shakespeare plays include Othello, Hamlet, and Much Ado About Nothing.

11/26/2022

MEET THE TEAM: Introducing Cole Marshall, Artistic Director!

Cole Marshall is an avid Shakespeare enthusiast and semi-academic. He majored as a BFA Acting student at The Florida State University, where he garnered extensive training in Shakespeare. He also appeared as Capulet in their 2014 production of Romeo and Juliet. In 2013, he had the privilege of studying in London for 3 months under the tutelage of several professionally recognized Shakespeare experts and educators. As part of this education, he was lucky enough to take classes on the stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and at the Tower of London. Cole has had a passion for Shakespeare ever since his first exposure to the Bard in middle school and wants nothing more than to bring that passion to Jacksonville through Pursued by a Bear. His favorite Shakespeare plays include Hamlet, The Tempest, Cymbeline, and Richard III. .

11/26/2022

10/05/2022

Act III, Scene III of A Winter’s Tale, Antigonus utters his final words, “I am gone for ever.” What the audience witnesses next is a shock, seemingly appearing from nowhere, and perfectly embodied in one simple stage direction: Exit pursued by a bear. If you’ve never read or scene the play, you may be saying to yourself, “Well, of course this bear was a major plot point up until this point. We’ve seen this bear before and it’s reappearing for dramatic comeback.”

You’d be wrong.

Readers and audiences alike have been stunned and confused by this stage direction for generations, as it has no buildup, no foreshadowing, and no discernable reasoning. However, it is a moment of consequence for the show and remains one of Shakespeare’s most famous stage directions.

Pursued by a Bear Shakespeare Troupe is a troupe located in the Jacksonville/Saint Augustine area that is dedicated to bringing quality Shakespeare to Florida. Shakespeare’s plays remain a focal point of literature and theatre for many reasons, but the most prevalent is thus: he exemplified the human condition in each one of his plays in ways that very few playwrights have accomplished since. His stories are set in times unfamiliar to us, they reference characters of whom we have no background knowledge, and they use language long lost to us. Even so, they tell the tales we live daily and personify emotions with which every person can identify.

Just like our namesake, we hope to bring audiences moments that are unexpected and fill them with awe and excitement. Theatre is not always about making you smile or making you cry, sometimes it just wants you to remember it long after it’s done. Exit pursued by a bear makes little-to-no sense to a studied literature academic, but it has stayed on their lips for hundreds of years.

Address

Jacksonville, FL

Website

https://www.pbabshakespeare.com/

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