08/22/2026
AUDITION NOTICE!
Theatre Conspiracy will hold auditions for The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, adapted and directed by Bill Taylor.
The Rivals is a classic comedy about love, jealousy, mistaken identities, and people making absolute fools of themselves in the name of romance. Jack Absolute has disguised himself as the penniless Beverley to win Lydia Languish, a wealthy young woman who has read so many romantic novels that she is determined to give up her fortune and elope with a poor man. The problem is that the wealthy Captain Absolute, her family wants her to marry, and the poor Beverley
she loves are the same man.
This new adaptation by Bill Taylor takes Sheridan's very funny but very long 18th-century comedy and cuts it down to a fast-moving version for today's audience.
The story, characters and comedy are all there, but the script has been tightened and updated where needed to keep the show moving. It is still very much The
Rivals, complete with Mrs. Malaprop, jealous lovers, secret identities, ridiculous misunderstandings and duels that almost nobody actually wants to fight.
Available roles and audition info in comments!