AFTER the successful adult auditions for Shakespeare at Traquair’s production of The Merchant of Venice, the group is now looking for young people who want to get involved with the production to help bring all the scenes to life.

There are a wide range of parts from market sellers and street urchins to living Chess pieces.
David Bon, this year’s director, said: “The young performers have always been an important part of the group and performances.

“The real beauty of community theatre is that so many young people from all the surrounding towns and villages join and become involved in the show.

“Their energy and enthusiasm are such a vital part of what makes Shakespeare at Traquair so special and they are key to bringing the whole show to life.”

Esme Babineaux joined Shakespeare at Traquair when she was 12 years old.

She said: “I joined Shakespeare at Traquair in 2013 and I’m now 23 and have had the privilege of growing up performing alongside lots of incredible actors.

“As a kid with an interest in theatre, being surrounded by all those talented people I learned valuable performance skills just from being in a scene with them.

“What prompted me to join was seeing the 2012 production of Twelfth Night.

“My friend, Caitlin Morris, starred as Viola at the age of 15 and seeing someone so young cast in a leading role – and smashing it out the park – was definitely empowering.

“I started out with messenger roles, then at 16 I had my first principal role.

“Since then I’ve played a wide variety of parts – all different, all interesting, and all fun.

“Shakespeare at Traquair is incredibly welcoming and easy to slot into, the community element of ‘community theatre’ is very apparent.

“You don’t need any prior acting experience or knowledge of Shakespeare to be involved and have a good time.

“Those are things you’ll learn and do along the way.

“If you’re interested in drama school, music or dancing or want to join a professional company, having done community theatre is advantageous and even if you just want to come along for a new hobby, the benefits of theatre are massive.

“I was horrifically shy when I was 12, and performing gave me so much confidence and now I’m a youth theatre teacher.

“I’ve also met some of my closest friends thanks to being involved in community theatre, so the social element has a huge impact too. Honestly, I’d recommend joining Shakespeare at Traquair to anyone.”

The young performers’ introduction workshop for this year’s production will be a mixture of fun drama, games and some 1920s movement as we tap into this year’s theme of the Roaring ‘20s.

No experience is required and there are parts for everyone who comes to the workshop or who wants to be involved.

The young performers’ workshop is open to all young people aged 10-16 years of age, and will be held at St Joseph’s Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday, February 24 starting at 1.30pm until 3pm.

The group requests parent/s/guardians to come in and introduce themselves to gather contact information.

Rehearsals will take place on Sundays, likely from 12pm-4pm, starting on March 10.

The Merchant of Venice evening performances will be performed in the grounds of Traquair House on Wednesday, May 29 through to Saturday, June 1; then from Wednesday, June 5 through to Saturday, June 8.

Tickets will be available from the Eastgate Theatre box office. For more information or to be added to the Shakespeare at Traquair email list contact@shakespeare-at-traquair.co.uk or visit www.shakespeare-at-traquair.co.uk