Stalled Well That Ends Well

We are now a week from our first audition. That's a week of emailing, calling, and cajoling people (and one incident of out and out begging), and we are still three to four important male parts away from having a cast. Things are looking grim in Shakespeare Town.

I'm not quite sure what it is. I suspect that it's a combination of things:

1. We're competing with: All My Sons at Live Arts, which is about to go into production; someone's version of Anna Karenina; Live Arts's Summer Theatre Festival (three plays in all); Live Arts's upcoming production of Urinetown; and New Lyric Theater's production of The Pirates of Penzance, which would start rehearsal during our production run.
   
2. It's the summer, and people go away in the summer.
   
3. It's Shakespeare and some actors are scared by Shakespeare (some rightfully so)
   
4. Four County summer Shakespeare takes a lot of work, and their volunteer base is worn out.
   
5. and (Everyone say it with me) "Three dollars a gallon! Three dollars a gallon!" The trip up 20 North to Barboursville is not quite as appealing anymore.
   

Oh well. We'll see what Thursday brings.