HUMMINGBIRD THEATRE COMPANY ROMEO AND JULIET - AUDITION NOTICE

You must be 18 or over to audition

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First Round Auditions: Friday, Feb 13th at 7pm and Saturday, Feb 14th at 10am
Callback Auditions: Sun, Feb 15th at 2:00pm (or if you are in a matinee show, after you get out)

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Performance Dates: May 8th, 2026 - May 24th, 2026 
Performance Venue: Heartstoppers Haunted House- 2300 Mine Shaft Ln, Rancho Cordova, CA 956742

 

Set in a world of cutlasses and corsets, this production of Romeo and Juliet reimagines the Montagues as pirates and the Capulets as aristocratic merchants. When Romeo, a pirate, falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of a noble house, their forbidden romance challenges a society divided by class, power, and fear. As the feud erupts in violence, the lovers race against a world determined to keep them apart—proving that love, once ignited, can be as dangerous as it is transformative.

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The setting of The Mineshaft Building which hosts Heartstoppers Haunted House will provide an incredibly imaginative backdrop for our production. With a (partial) pirate ship, beautiful woodwork, a huge balcony, vaulted ceilings and swinging from chandeliers (possibly) we will make the most of the space and transport the audience to a different world. 

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The concept and character building will be collaborative between actors and directors. Depending on who shows up for auditions and who is cast, we will build our world. As an example, we may transform the role of the Apothecary into a Calypso type character, or the chorus into creepy zombie sea creatures, etc. The ensemble will play multiple roles and can expect to have spoken lines as chorus members, party dancers, and extra pirates. 

PERFORMANCES

Performances will run for three weekends in May, beginning on the 8th and ending on the 24th. Shows begin at 7:30pm on Fridays, 6:30pm on Saturdays, and at 2pm on Sundays.

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MAIN AUDITIONS

​Friday, Feb 13th at 7pm OR Saturday, Feb 14th at 10am.

Please make sure you arrive on time. You will have 30 minutes to fill out your audition form in person. If you have one, please feel free to send us your theatre resume/headshot to our email. Please note that auditions must be in person. If you have a scheduling problem with auditions or callbacks, please reach out! We would be happy to schedule a different time that works for us all.

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For the audition, please prepare a Shakespearean Monologue or Sonnet - from any gender/character- to perform for us. We would like to see your characterization and handle on the Shakespearean language. You don’t need to be off book for this – in fact we’d prefer you to read from a script, as trying to remember the lines at this stage can sometimes detract from your performance. We may also do some cold readings/duo scenes. 

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We will notify everyone as soon as possible after the first round auditions to let you know if we would like to see you again for Callbacks.

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CALLBACK AUDITIONS

Callbacks will be Sunday, Feb 15th at 2:00pm

If you’re invited to Callbacks, we will work with you on some additional scenes and ask you to read with other auditionees to see how you work opposite other characters. Any additional material will be sent out by email following the first round auditions. You may also be asked to participate in a fight call, where you will be taught a brief section of choreography to assess your ability to learn stage combat, so please dress accordingly.

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BOOKING YOUR AUDITION

To book your audition please send an email to Hummingbird Theatre Company at hummingbirdtheatreco@gmail.com to request a Friday or Saturday slot. 

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REHEARSALS

Rehearsals will typically be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:30, and Saturdays from 10am-2:00pm, with some Sundays from 2-5pm. Not everyone will be called to every rehearsal or even every hour of rehearsal. However, we will expect the cast to be as committed to the process as physically possible. Please inform us of conflicts BEFORE being cast- weddings, graduations, vacations, camping trips, etc.: There will be a place for you to fill out your conflicts on your application form.

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Rehearsals at Hummingbird tend to be a bit more spread out than other local theatre groups. Instead of rehearsal 5 or 6 days a week for 8 weeks, we do about 3 days a week for 12 weeks. This is mainly because our Director has two young children, and doesn't want to miss their childhoods. However, since implementing this rehearsal schedule, we have had a lot of positive feedback from the actors. They like that it’s only 3 or 4 days a week so they can have full time jobs and lives outside rehearsal times. It also has the added benefit of allowing the piece to expand and be brought to life naturally. instead of feeling rushed. 

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STIPEND

There will be a $100 “Thank You” stipend for all actors selected to be in the show.

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FEES

There are no fees to be involved in auditioning or being in the show. However, we do ask the cast to provide their own show appropriate footwear, makeup, and undergarments. 

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EXPECTATIONS

Expectations for the show are to be as professional as possible. Actors need to be studying and memorizing lines OUTSIDE of rehearsal and come prepared. This is not negotiable - especially with Shakespeare. Actors need to be early or on time always, and always come with their script and a pencil to make notes. We as a company have high expectations of ourselves and our actors to deliver stunning performances. As such we will be doing table work, script analysis, and character discovery  through the texts. There will also be workshops for period style movement, dramaturgy, and sword fighting. Depending on the venue's limitations, we may have some more adventurous actors swing across the space on a rope, climb a large rope ladder, or rappel down a balcony. 

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INTIMACY

Here at Hummingbird we are very committed to providing a safe environment to explore actor intimacy. In this show, Romeo and Juliet kiss several times. These scenes will be studied and discussed with the actors beforehand, and there will always be a chaperone apart from the Director when such scenes are staged. Anything we do will be agreed upon collaboratively and in the spirit of professionalism and dramatic art. 

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STAGE COMBAT

We are very lucky to have one of our own, Jarod Wiggins, who has been a company member for 8 years, be our Assistant Director and Certified Stage Combat Instructor. We will have “Fight School” where we will learn safe and fun stage combat techniques, as well as swordfighting. We have theatre safe swords and daggers that you will get to play with in your fight scenes. The sword fighting will definitely be a highlight of this production. 

 

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Please note that playing ages are given as a guide only. Character descriptions are traditional and will change during rehearsals. Casting will be open to all genders unless otherwise specified.

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Romeo – Male, 18-25 - the youthful pirate son of Captain Montague and Lady Montague. Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable character.

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Juliet – Female, 16-25 - the eligible aristocratic daughter of Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet. Juliet begins the play as a naive young woman, and fully becomes a wife, a woman, and a widow in a short amount of time. Graceful and sweet, but also feisty and defiant. 

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Friar Lawrence – 30+ - A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic- minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs.

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Mercutio – 18-28 - kin to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. Mercutio overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times, a strange, biting satire and brooding fervor. Mercutio loves wordplay, especially sexual double entendres. They can be quite hotheaded, and hate people who are affected, pretentious, or obsessed with the latest fashions.

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The Nurse – plays female but may be cast either male or female, 30+ - Juliet’s nurse and closest friend. A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse provides comic relief with her frequently inappropriate remarks and speeches.

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Tybalt – 18-30 - Prince of Cats- Lithe and bad tempered. A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain, fashionable, supremely aware of courtesy and the lack of it, they become aggressive, violent, and quick to draw their sword. Loathes Montagues.

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Lord Capulet/Lady Capulet - 35+ Juliet’s parents, they are an aristocratic family of British merchants. Lord Capulet first is fairly genial and charming, but when his daughter does not do his bidding, turns hot headed and vengeful. Lady Capulet is an absent, self absorbed mother who does not really know how to handle her headstrong daughter. 

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Captain Montague/Lady Pirate Montague – 35+- Romeo’s Father and leader of the Montague pirate/privateer gang. Rough around the edges and very piratey. I’m debating making “Lady” Montague a prostitute. 

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Paris – Male, 18-30 - A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Lord Capulet. Not a villain, per say, but an obstacle in the way of true love. He weeps when Juliet “dies” and fights Romeo to the bitter end. 

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Benvolio – 18-30 - Montague’s niece/nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend. Makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public, though Mercutio accuses them of having a nasty temper in private.

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Prince Escalus – probably male, 25+ - The Prince of Verona. A kinsman of Mercutio and Paris. As the seat of political power in Verona, he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs. Absolute authority. 

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Balthasar - Romeo’s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet’s death, unaware that her death is a ruse.

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Sampson & Gregory - Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their master, hate the Montagues. At the outset of the play, they successfully provoke some Montague men into a fight.

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Abram - Montague’s servant, who fights with Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of the play.

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The Apothecary - An apothecary in Mantua. Had they been wealthier, they might have been able to afford to value their morals more than money, and refused to sell poison to Romeo. (Will be getting some sort of magical makeover)

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Peter - A Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet with Romeo. They are illiterate, and a bad singer.