Open auditions will be held for the Bard in the Barracks productions of William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and our remount of The Comedy of Errors on May 1^st and 2nd at Memorial Hall on the UNB campus. The plays will be performed outdoors (in Odell Park and Barracks Square respectively) and will collectively run from June 21-July 8, with exact performance dates for each play still to be determined. The plays will be directed by Len Falkenstein, and will be rehearsed intensively (mainly evening hours) beginning the week of May 6.

Roles are available for actors of a variety of ages. Auditions will take place from 7:30-10:00 PM on Tuesday, May 1^st and Wednesday, May 2nd, with callbacks from 7:30-9:30 PM on Friday, May 4. Those auditioning are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the plays beforehand. Auditions will focus on Cymbeline (with only a small number of roles from The Comedy of Errors to be recast) and will consist of readings from the play. Prepared monologues may also be performed, but are not required.

To book an audition, please email lfalken@unb.ca, indicating your availability for the audition dates and any preference for date/time. Actors may be cast in one or both plays (if willing) at the discretion of the director, but may indicate a preference of play (if any) when booking their audition, keeping in mind that only a few roles in The Comedy of Errors are available.

Anyone interested in auditioning who is unable to attend either of the audition dates, or anyone requesting further information, should contact the director at lfalken@unb.ca or 506 458-7406. Expressions of interest from persons who would like to assist with the productions in a musical or technical/crew capacity are also welcome. All members of the company will receive honorariums for their work on the productions.

Our 2018 season will feature the return of a popular production from last year, along with a new work that will introduce Fredericton audiences to one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known late gems!

Our second consecutive two-play season will include a remount of our 2017 production of The Comedy of Errors in Barracks Square.
That’s right, those crazy twins will be back!
A high-spirited, farcical comedy, the play depicts the chaos that results when two pairs of long-separated identical twins unknowingly find themselves in the same city and cases of mistaken identity spiral out of control, threatening dangerous consequences. Set in a seaside town in Italy in the 1970s, last year’s colorful and zany production was a hit with audiences but ran afoul of the weather gods, completing only six performances and leaving many ticket buyers disappointed.

The summer’s second play will be Shakespeare’s late romance Cymbeline, to be staged in Odell Park. A tale of jealousy that sees lovers and families torn apart by envy and malice only to be reunited after standing the test of time, Cymbeline is a wild and exciting fairy tale-inspired dark comedy. Set in Ancient Britain against the backdrop of a rebel uprising, as native Britons struggle to assert their independence against their Roman overlords, Cymbeline will transform Odell Park into the wilds of rural Wales, replete with potions, treachery, ghosts, gods, and epic battles. Oh, and perhaps the odd decapitation. If you happen to like such things… and we think you will!

Together, The Comedy of Errors and Cymbeline will run from June 21-July 8. Full details regarding performances and tickets will be announced later in the spring, and news about auditions will be coming very soon, right here! Stay posted, folks!

Until we reveal what we have in store for you for summer 2018! We’ll be announcing our season today at 2 PM via Facebook, Twitter, and at bardinthebarracks.com! Spread the word!

Monday, April 23rd is Shakespeare’s birthday. We thought we’d celebrate the occasion by sharing what Bard in the Barracks has planned for Fredericton audiences this year! Join us at 2 PM on our website, Facebook, or Twitter to learn all the details of our 2018 summer season! P.S.: we think you’re going to like it!

Tonight, the only sounds in Odell Park will be those of birds, squirrels, and regular human park-goers going about their business. There will be no deathly shrieks, battle cries, or haunting medieval songs being sung. The smiling villain Richard will not make an appearance. That’s right, sadly our 2017 season has come to an end. It’s been one for the record books, with our most performances ever, terrific weather (only 2 of 18 shows rained out), and large, warm crowds. Thanks so much to our sponsors and funders, our crew of volunteers, our hosts at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and Fredericton Tourism, and all who came out to see the shows. We are incredibly thankful to all who made both The Comedy of Errors in Barracks Square and Richard III in Odell Park possible, and for all the many kind comments on the shows.

We look forward to seeing you again next summer, and hope you will continue to spread the word about our company and our shows!

Most of us will now turn our attention to work on the upcoming NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival (July 25-August 5). We have a dozen fantastic new plays by New Brunswick playwrights that we’ll be presenting then, and we hope you’ll come out to see us then! Photo: Miguel Roy as Richard III, photographer Michael Holmes-Lauder.

Our production of Richard III in Odell Park has been getting a phenomenal response from Fredericton audiences, thrilling a capacity crowd last night! Only four performances remain, tonight through Sunday, July 9 at 7:30 (but arrive by 7:15). The weather is going to be great tonight, but with chances of rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, you might not want to wait to come take in this exciting immersive production of Shakespeare’s famous dark tragedy. In the meantime, check out some great photos of the show by Michael Holmes-Lauder. Above: Kira Chisholm as Lady Anne and Miguel Roy as Richard. Below: Robbie Lynn as the Duke of Buckingham, Miguel Roy as Richard, and Sharisse LeBrun as Catesby (background), with Telina Debly as Prince Edward and Lee Thomas as Richard, Duke of York (foreground).

We’re taking Canada Day off, but will be back with BOTH of our productions July 2 as part of our second Twinbill Shakespeare Sunday! At 2 PM in Barracks Square it’s your LAST CHANCE to catch the hilarious comedy of The Comedy of Errors, which has been a huge hit with our audiences. Please bring a lawnchair or blanket to sit on, as our regular bleacher seating has been commandeered by Canada Day activities. Then at 7:30 PM head over to Odell Park to experience the immersive nighttime forest adventure of Shakespeare’s dark tragedy, Richard III.

And remember that if you attend both our shows this year, your second play is HALF-PRICE with your ticket stub from the first show! Enjoy Canada Day, see you tomorrow, and let’s all think sunny thoughts in the meantime!