Bard on the Beach’s 2017 season includes a staging of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and the theatre festival has now launched its official search for the play’s most unusual cast member: Crab the dog.
Shakespeare’s early romantic comedy includes a servant named Launce. Launce has a dog and that’s why the theatre festival is on the hunt for the perfect pooch, to make his or her debut on the Howard Family Stage this summer.
An audition day is scheduled for March 31st, where the play’s creative team will assess the appearance and behavior of a short list of would-be Crabs.
Bard Artistic Associate Scott Bellis, the play’s director, says “I’m looking for either a large, calm dog that will be happy to lie still, regardless of the surrounding distractions, or a perkier dog that will respond to Launce when encouraged and maybe even do a trick or two. Either way, the dog has to be well-behaved, and absolutely able to keep his or her composure when surrounded by bright lights and audience noise. No (other) special skills, or experience with Shakespeare, is required!”
Bellis notes that Shakespeare didn’t specify what breed Crab should be, so there is room for a diverse range of dogs to try out for the role.
Deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 15 at 4pm. All interested dog owners need to fill out an online application form, include a photo of their dog and a link to a short video.
Last modified: March 8, 2017
