AUDITION INFORMATION– Venetian Twins by Nick Enright and Terence Clark, directed by Christine Vale, musical direction by Graham Vale
Based on the play by Carlo Goldoni
AUDITION: Monday June 3, from 7 pm.
DOWNLOAD THE AUDITION PAGES HERE
Please email for more information or to register for auditions.
Christine Vale
Venetian Twins is a rollicking, fast-paced, farcical romp of mistaken identities, love, lust, chivalry, murder – and more. Oh – and it is partly told through song. Yep! It’s got it all.
There are three roles left to be cast:
The Judge - Father of Rosina - 50+; Bass Baritone
Arlecchino - Servant to Zanetto - 40+; Baritone
Beatrice - Venetian lady betrothed to Tonino - 20+; Soprano
Synopsis and characters– so you get the idea!
Scene 1
The play opens in the home of the Judge of Verona. His daughter, Rosina, is waiting to meet her fiancé, Zanetto, with her maid, Colombina. She is hoping to wed Zanetto’s servant.
The Judge has arranged the marriage because Rosina is ‘young and pretty’, and Zanetto is ‘young and pretty rich’. He is one of orphaned twins, the other twin being Tonino, who lives in Venice.
Zanetto is a ‘boy from the bush’, who is waiting for his money and jewels to arrive with his servant to ‘get married’. When finally left alone with Rosina, he demonstrates that he is unfamiliar with how to woo a woman, and Rosina thinks he is a fool, slaps him, and he leaves.
Rosina is comforted by her father’s loyal friend, Pancrazio, who secretly lusts after her. (He’s a villain!)
SCENE 2
Beatrice, a young woman who has run away from Venice and has been waiting for her beloved, Tonino (Zanetto’s twin), decides she can no longer wait for him. Tonino’s friend, Florindo (who is crazy about her) doesn’t want her to leave.
Enter Lelio (who is also crazy about Beatrice) and is following her around. He confronts Florindo, and they start a swordfight. Tonino arrives and disarms Lelio, who swears he’ll get his revenge.
When Tonino asks where Beatrice is, Florindo lies and says he hasn’t seen her. Tonino says he doesn’t want anyone to know his name as he has been outlawed from Venice for slapping a rival suitor of Beatrice. So, from now on, he’ll call himself Zanetto, as it is the name of his twin brother who lives in the country.
Zanetto enters and is mistaken by Lelio for Tonino, who draws his sword to fight. Florindo enters and disarms Lelio. He also mistakes Zanetto for Tonino. Thinking he is talking to Tonino, he tells Zanetto to leave town because of the slap and he is an outlaw. Zanetto is unsure that the little slap (from Rosina) would make him an outlaw, but agrees he should go home. Then after Zanetto leaves, he decides he actually likes Rosina, and even though she slapped him, he’ll buy her a present. But he has to wait for his servant, Arlecchino, to arrive with his money and jewels. Pancrazio then enters, and convinces Zanetto that he’s ‘better dead than wed’!
Beatrice enters and sees Zanetto and thinks he is Tonino. When she approaches him, he turns against her and tells her he renounces the female sex and goes. Beatrice is rejected and leaves in distress.
Arlecchino, Zanetto’s servant, arrives with his money and jewels. He meets Tonino, and thinks he is Zanetto, and tries to give them to him, but Tonino will not accept them.
Colombina sees Tonino and thinks he is Zanetto. She tells him that her mistress ‘has changed her mind’. The Judge enters and makes Tonino an ‘offer’ of his daughter.
Arlecchino returns and is met by Colombina and there is instant attraction. Zanetto arrives and asks Arlecchino where his money and jewels are, and Arlecchino says he put them in ‘his’ room, in the inn. He has mistakenly put them in Tonino’s room!
Tonino is then met by Rosina (who thinks he is Zanetto). She thinks they are betrothed, and he tells her ‘he’s better dead than wed’, so she it distraught.
Pancrazio then enters and Tonino gives the jewels to him and says he’s going back to Venice. Pancrazio is delighted he has the money he’s needed to marry Rosina.
Zanetto threatens to have Arlecchino arrested if he does not give him his jewels. And does.
Then Beatrice enters and thinks Zanetto is Tonino. She implores him not to leave.
Florindo enters and thinks Tonino (who is really Zanetto) has been reunited with Beatrice. Zanetto likes Beatrice, but Florindo tells him he can’t marry two women, so Zanetto leaves.
Florindo comforts Beatrice until Tonino (the real one) arrives and is reunited with Beatrice.
This is the end of Act 1.
So do you get the idea?
CHARACTERS
From Verona - Role - Suggested age
Zanetto - Suitor to Rosina from Bergamo; twin of Tonino; Aussie country bumpkin - 30+; Baritone
Rosina - Judge’s daughter, betrothed to Zanetto, not to bright - 20+; Soprano
Colombina - Maid to Rosina - 30-40+; Contralto
The Judge - Father of Rosina - 50+; Bass Baritone
Pancrazio - Friend to the Judge, villain pursuing Rosina - 40+; Baritone
Arlecchino - Servant to Zanetto - 40+; Baritone
From Venice - Role - Suggested age
Tonino - Venetian gentleman, twin of Zanetto, dashing and sophisticated - 40+; Baritone
Beatrice - Venetian lady betrothed to Tonino - 20+; Soprano
Florindo - Veronese friend to Tonino / loves Beatrice - 30+; Baritone
Lelio - Judge’s nephew, pursuing Beatrice – foppish fool - 30+; Baritone
Policeman - (double)
Jeweller - (double)
