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Current Audition Notices
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
Adapted by Sabrina Poole
Performances – 19th – 23rd March 2024. Tech/dress – across 15th – 18th March.
Auditions: 1st round – Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th November 11:30 – 15:00 and
Monday 27th November 7pm – 10pm.
Recalls: 4th and 5th December 6pm – 10pm
Rehearsals commence : w/c 15th January
The Play
Mr and Mrs Bennet have five daughters and an estate that can only be passed down the male line. To secure their futures the girls must marry and marry well. Enter into the neighbourhood Mr Bingley – young, handsome, rich, and in want of a wife. But for Elizabeth Bennet a good situation in life is not sufficient to make a man a husband. He should have wit, sense, and, most importantly, good manners. Which Mr Bingley’s friend, Darcy, certainly does not. Thrown together by circumstance the two clash in battles of words, but could there be more to Mr Darcy’s disapproval than meets the eye?
Austen’s enduring comedy of first impressions and human emotions is brought to the stage with all the satire and sharpness that has made it a timeless classic.
This adaptation
Often Austen gets lost behind the romance genre and the true satirical nature of her novels is left behind. She is fiercely critical of the expectations that the women of her time were held to and the choices ‘polite society’ forced them to make – she herself was a victim of these standards. Austen gave her heroines the life she didn’t have and weaves through the love story an unflinching commentary on the realities women faced – security or happiness, survival or fulfilment. This version aims to capture both the romance and the satire, bringing to life Austen’s sparkling dialogue and sharp wit. The approach will be almost musical in style with minimal set and scenes moving with fluidity between each other using actors to change furniture and acting through the change. The intention will be to refine the script with the actors and creative team during the initial stages of rehearsal.
Auditions and rehearsals
First round auditions will be 15-minute individual slots with the director reading through a piece of the text. Small group auditions will then be held. Please email the director for an audition form.
Rehearsal will commence in Mid-January and will be between 3 and 4 times a week, with a schedule to be decided with cast availability in mind. Please declare any and all unavailable dates on your audition form. If you have significant availability issues, please speak to the director in advance. It is politely asked that anyone who cannot make the tech, dress or show dates refrains from auditioning.
Characters
With 20+ characters the intention will be to double some parts. If you would prefer to take one of the doubling roles as a single role, please indicate on your audition form and speak to the director in advance. Age ranges are given as recommended playing ages and should be taken as a guide only.
Single Roles
The Bennet girls – ages ranging from mid-teens to mid-twenties. (It is possible for Mary and Kitty to be doubled with other roles)
– Jane – the eldest – sweet and mild-tempered. She is almost motherly and has a gentle heart.
– Elizabeth – the second – lively and sharp with a fondness for teasing what she finds ridiculous, she can be quick to judge.
– Mary – the third – sombre and serious, Austen uses Mary as a mouthpiece for some of the story’s darker points.
– Kitty – the fourth – forming a comedic duo with her younger sister, Kitty is more the follower to her more boisterous sister. Silly and easily excitable.
– Lydia – the youngest – self-assured and the favourite of her mother, she is highly excitable and not daunted by anything, she behaves according to her own whims.
Mr Bennet – 50s+ – sarcastic and reserved, he has little patience with wife and thinks most of his girls silly, though he has a soft spot for Lizzy.
Mrs Bennet – 40s – 50s – A woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. She is erratic, dramatic, and her sole interest in life is to have her daughters married.
Mr Bingley – 20s – 30s – He is a charming man with good manners, a lively temperament, and generally disposed to be well-pleased with whatever he comes across.
Mr Darcy – mid 20s – mid 30s – Bingley’s friend, and the complete opposite in character. He is proud and reserved, and finds fault with most of what he sees.
Caroline Bingley – 20s – 30s – Mr Bingley’s sister, haughty and displeased with her brother’s interest in the Bennets. She has a particular interest in Mr Darcy.
Charlotte Lucas – late 20s – Lizzy’s good friend. She is not as romantic as her friend and sees the world for what it is, reminding Lizzy of this from time to time. She is under pressure to marry before she is deemed too old.
Mr Collins – 20s – 30s – Mr Bennet’s cousin and the heir to the estate. He is an absurd and pompous man.
Mr Wickham – 20s – 30s – Recently joining the militia, he is a very charming man with dark secrets hidden behind the handsome smile.
Mr Gardiner – 50s+ – Mrs Bennet’s brother, a cheerful man.
Roles that can be doubled (N.B. Not all roles that can be doubled will, the below are merely suggestions)
Mrs Hurst – 20s – 40s – Bingley’s eldest sister. Like Caroline she is haughty and generally disposed to think ill of anyone deemed below her. (Could be doubled with Mrs Gardiner, Lady Catherine or Mrs Reynolds)
Captain Denny – 20s – 30s – A captain in the militia and a great favourite of Lydia and Kitty, he is charming and good humoured man. (Could be doubled with Colonel Fitzwilliam)
Lady Catherine de Bourgh – 50s+ – The Grand Dame of the story. She is Mr Darcy’s aunt and the patroness of Mr Collins. She is arrogant, proud, and happy only when she is the centre of attention. She dislikes being treated with anything other than complete deference. (Could be double with Mrs Gardiner, Mrs Hurst or Mrs Reynolds)
Anne de Bourgh – 20s – non-speaking role / one scene – the sickly daughter of Lady Catherine, completely overpowered by her mother. (Could be doubled with Mary or Kitty)
Mrs Gardiner – 40s + – Lizzy’s aunt, there is a strong bond between them. She is a calm and sensible woman, and a voice of reason in Lizzy’s life. (Could be doubled with Mrs Hurst or Lady Catherine)
Colonel Fitzwilliam – 30s – 40s – Mr Darcy’s cousin, he has more inviting manners, and is generally a welcoming man. (Could be doubled with Captain Denny)
Mrs Reynolds – 50s+ – one scene – Mr Darcy’s housekeeper at Pemberley. A woman with a strong loyalty to her employer. (Could be doubled with Mrs Hurst or Lady Catherine)
Georgiana Darcy – late teens – early twenties – One scene – Mr Darcy’s sister. She is a shy girl but has a sweet and gentle temper. (Could be double with Mary or Kitty)
AUDITION FORM
Ashes to Ashes & Party Time
By Harold Pinter
Directed by John Holden
Performance dates:
Tuesday 6 February – Saturday 10 February at 7.30pm with a matinee at 2.30pm on 10 February
Audition dates
First round auditions:
Friday 6 October 7pm – 9.30 pm
Sunday 15 October 2.30pm – 5pm
Recall audition(if required):
Monday 23 October 7pm-9pm
First round auditions will consist of discussion and work on the themes of the plays and the opportunity to work on the text in groups. You will need to be able to attend for the full duration of the session.
Please make sure you have either read the plays or are very familiar with the content and themes.
To audition please complete the form below and email it to jaholden0@gmail.com
If you are absolutely not able to make an audition date but want to be seen please contact John.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals will start in late November, allowing for break over the Christmas holiday. Most rehearsals will be on weekday evenings, and whilst there will be up to four rehearsals a week, the two plays will rehearse on separate evenings in the initial stages.
The plays
These two plays, from 1996 and 1991 respectively, reflect Pinter’s growing interest in exploring explicitly political themes in his plays. On one hand they are naturalistic, on the other they are quite abstract. Both explore how relationships are affected by events off stage. In Ashes to Ashes past events drive the action and in Party Time it is events in the streets outside and the political regime in which the characters live.
All of the parts provide a great opportunity to test your skills against some of the best writing in British drama. Each part is challenging and rewarding and the lines are a thrilling pleasure to speak. Actors will need to be prepared to mine their own memories, feelings and experiences.
Ashes to Ashes
In the drawing room of a country house, the early evening light begins to fade and a man, Devlin, and a woman, Rebecca, talk about the woman’s past. It is clear they are intimately connected, but we are not sure how. Are they husband and wife? Lovers? Or interrogator and subject? In a chilling psychological cat-and-mouse game, Devlin quizzes Rebecca about her past and she deflects his enquiries by talking increasingly in abstract terms about her life. Devlin tries to turn the conversation back to a concrete world of facts but Rebecca uses these facts as jumping off points for dream like, even surreal, reflections on some of the most appalling events of the 20th century .
This is a play of echoes, dreams and memories, exploring the power of men over women and the resistance of women to catastrophic events, where authority breeds insecurity and bullying assertiveness is a sign of weakness not strength.
Casting
Rebecca: 30 – 55
Devlin: 35 – 60
For both these roles age matters less than the ability to convey a rich life experience.
Party Time
Set at a chic cocktail party, this is a much more overtly political play where Pinter examines the callous self-centeredness of the ruling class in an authoritarian regime.
Gavin, a suave power-broker, is throwing a party at which his guests calmly chat about exclusive health-clubs, idyllic island retreats and past romantic liaisons. Meanwhile, in the streets outside, there is violent disorder which is being savagely suppressed.
The only uncertainty comes from Dusty who, in an increasingly acrimonious running battle with her husband Terry, cannot stop herself from wondering out loud what has happened to her brother Jimmy, who has gone missing.
Pinter depicts a world of increasing moral coarseness and spiritual barbarism where even the death of old friends is seen as a minor matter compared to expiration of beloved clubby institutions.
Casting
Terry: 40s
Gavin: 50s
Dusty: 20s
Melissa: 60+
Liz: 30s
Charlotte: 30s
Fred: 40s
Douglas: 50s
Jimmy: 20s