July 29, 2014

TIMON OF ATHENS auditions, Wellington, 13 & 14/9  

New Zealand’s first production of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens in 150 years! 

Want to know how a city’s most popular and successful man can end up bankrupt and destitute? The Summer Shakespeare Trust is thrilled to announce that 2015’s Victoria University of Wellington Summer Shakespeare will be Timon of Athens, directed by Brett Adam, Head of Directing at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.  This once-in-a-lifetime production of one of Shakespeare’s most timely but least-known stories will open on Friday 13 February 2015 in the Dell, Wellington Botanic Gardens. 

Timon of Athens tells the tale of a man who lives a life of opulence, hosting lavish parties and mingling with Athens’ elite and privileged. But the moment his cash runs out, his wealthy friends all turn their backs on him. Exchanging the comforts of the city for the harsh realities of the wilderness, Timon is forced to confront some harsh truths about humanity.

“Timon of Athens is just about the most obscure play in the canon, and yet it’s probably the most contemporary play Shakespeare ever wrote,” says trust co-chair David Lawrence. “After three very successful years with popular plays, it’s time for Summer Shakespeare to take a genuine risk with a play that never gets done.”

Well, hardly ever. The last full production of Timon of Athens in New Zealand was 150 years ago at the Princess Theatre in Dunedin in 1865.  The closest Wellington has come to the play was a staged reading of key moments to accompany a lecture by the late Professor Don McKenzie at Victoria University in 1968. 

Brett Adam has international experience directing large scale productions.  “The thing that attracted me to this play wasn’t only its contemporary relevance but also its fable-like quality,” he says. “It has characters and situations that we can all recognise in a story that’s entertaining, moving and funny; the perfect play for a balmy summer’s evening with friends and family in the Dell.” 

Auditions for Timon of Athens will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September 2014.

For more information contact Sally Thorburn at sally@summershakespeare.co.nz  
or visit our website at www.summershakespeare.co.nz .