Are You Being Served

AUDITION NOTICE

Are You Being Served?

Following on from the success of ‘Allo ‘Allo and Hi De Hi we are staging Are You Being Served?  in April 2013.

Production dates:      Thursday 18^th – Saturday 20^th April and

                                    Thursday 25^th – Saturday 27^th April 2013.

This BBC sitcom was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. Set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London store.  The series ran for 13 years with a total of 69 episodes.  A total of five actors appeared in all 69 episodes namely Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock), Mollie Sugden (Mrs Slocombe), John Inman (Mr Humphries), Wendy Richards (Miss Brahams) and Nicolas Smith (Mr Rumbold).

The play which is based on a film version of the sitcom is full of double entendres as the staff of Grace Brothers prepare for a sale of German goods and then depart en masse for a staff holiday at a one star hotel in Spain.

Although not wanting to copy the television series the audience do (I believe) want to be able to associate with the original. 

The cast

Mr Grainger – senior sales assistant in menswear. Older than the other members of the sales team.

Mr Mash – act one only. Can also double as either Don Bernardo or Cesar. Maintenance operative on the shop floor at Grace Brothers. Playing age 50 plus.

Mr Rumbold – manager on the department. Famous for having large ears – the script makes reference to these throughout. Playing age 50’s

Mr Lucas – junior assistant on menswear. Playing age 30’s

Miss Brahms – junior assistant on women’s wear. Playing age 30 -40’s

Captain Peacock – floor worker – supervisor of both departments.  Ex-am official. Playing age 50

Mrs Slocombe – famous for her lines about her cat. Senior on women’s wear. Playing age late 50’s onwards.

Mr Humphries – famous for line “I’m free”. Camp and flamboyant character. Play age mid 30’s onwards.

Mr Grace – owner of the store. Only appears at the end of act one. Famous line of “you’re all doing very well”.  Playing age 70 plus.

Lady Customer – act one only. Can double up as Taeresa

Male Customer – act one only. Can also double as either Don Bernardo or Cesar

Nurse – end of act one only. Can double up as Conchita. Needs to be young and attractive.

Don Bernardo – see above re possible doubling, act two only. Owner of hotel in Spain

Cesar – Revolutionary leader act two only. Playing age 45 onwards

Conchita – Act two only – see above re double up. Dark pretty young Spanish girl wearing shorts skirt.

Taeresa – see above re double up. Small part in act two, on stage for one page. Revolutionary, wears army uniform.

Scripts from Matt Jeffrey or Andy Brown (scripts will be available from 1^st September onwards)

Auditions to take place on:

Monday 5th and Wednesday 7th November 2012

from 7.30pm onwards in the Skylight room.

Once cast we will have a read through before Christmas. Rehearsals will most likely take place on Monday and Wednesday commencing in January 2013 (this will include during the panto run). Some Sundays may be required.

If cast you will need to be a member of the theatre or complete an application form and pay the necessary fee at the time of the first rehearsal. All members of the cast are required to pay the £15.00 show levy. This levy will be collected during the first read through.

For further information please contact either Matt Jeffrey on 07541156972 or Andy Brown on 07854644857.

   

Calendar Girls

    Audition Notice for Calendar Girls

Performance dates:-

6^th 7^th 8^th 9^th. / 13^th 14^th 15^th 16^th March 2013 at The Norbury Theatre Droitwich.

20^th 21^st 22^nd 23^rd March at The Conquest Theatre Bromyard.

Audition dates  Tuesday 9^th and Thursday 11^th October 2012 at 7.30pm

Written by Tim Firth the play is based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendear to raise money for the Lukaemia Research fund. The play has beome the fastest selling play in British theatre history and is being released to amateurs for one year only.

For this play more than any it is essential that the “girls” bond well together. The audtions are taking place early to ensure we get the right mix. We may not for a week or two.

The Characters:-

Chris 50 ish. You want Chris at your party. She will talk to people she doesn’t know, find things to say to fill silences and generate laughter. She is at home in crowds loves being the centre of attention. Without Chris in her life Annie would be better behaved. The two of them are like naughty school girls. Ideal car?... who cares as long as it’s a cabriolet.

Ideal holiday- Algarve

Annie 50ish. Annie will join in mischief but is at heart more conformist and less confrontational than Chris. The mischeivousness Chris elicits saves Annie from being a saint. She has enough edge to be interesting and enough salt not to be too sweet. Ideal car? Who cares as long as it’s reliable. Ideal holiday- walking in the English countryside.

Cora 40ish. Cora’s past is the most eclectic, having been to college!. This caused a tectonic shift with her more parochial parents. She came back to them pregnant; she is resilient and not at all downtrodden.She is the joker in the pack but never the fool. Her wit is deadpan. Her relationship with her daughter is more akin to that between Annie and Chris. She needs to sing well enough to start the show singing Jerusalem, a piano player would be an advantage but not necessary. Ideal car? who cares as long as the sound system is loud. Ideal holiday- New York

                                                                                                                                                    

Jessie 60s/70s. Get on the right side of Jessie as a teacher and she’ll be the teacher you’ll remember for life. Get on the wrong side and you will regret every waking hour! Her elixir of life is bravery, she goes on rollercoasters. Her husband is rarely surprised by her actions, she cares about grammar and the use of the apostrophe. Ideal car? Strange looking European thing long since manufactured. Holidays- Walking in Switzerland or Angkor Wat.

Celia age 35-50ish. The fact that Celia is in the WI is the greatest justification to its existence. More at home in the best department store than a church hall she always feels as if she has drifted in from a different world. She has a rebelliousness about her which endears her to Jessie. Ideal car? A Porche, which she has. Ideal Holiday- Maldives, where she often goes.

Ruth 40ish Ruth’s journey is from the false self-confidence of the emotionally abused to the genuine self-confidence of the woman happy in her own skin. Eager to please but not a rag doll she wants to keep everyone happy, she is protected by the group, they sense there is something better in Ruth than she is letting out. Ideal car? At the start anything that Eddie wants at the end whatever she wants. Ideal holiday-at the start wherever Eddie is, at the end wherever he isn’t.

Marie 50ish.Marie has gradually built the current “Marie” around her as a defence mechanism. She went to Cheshire and found Cheshire didn’t want her! She came back scorched. The WI is a trophy which justifies her entire existence. There is a lingering part of Marie that would love to be on that calendar (she never is). Ideal car? Something German and well-valeted. Ideal holiday-a quasi-academic tour of Persia advertised in the Sunday Supplement.

John Annie’s Husband 50ish. John is a human sunflower. Not a saint. Not a hero. When he dies it feels like someone has turned off a light.

Rod Chris’s husband 50ish. He gives as good as he gets from Chris, he has a deadpan sense of humour. Likes a drink, works hard.

Lawrence, late 20ish. Shy, hesitant but not nerdy! Had the courage to turn up in the first place. The photographer.

Lady Cavendish, 60ish.The president of the WI She doesn’t mean to be patronizing…but she is. Not a tweed wearer she dresses elegantly and glides like a galleon.

Elaine, 20ish. The beautician. Another patronizing woman who thinks beauty just for the young.

Liam, Late 20’s ish!! Would rather be directing other things than photoshoots for washing powder! There is a resigned patience to his actions.

You notice the ages are all “ish” these are real people and the age is almost immaterial.

The team:

Director                       Anne Lane      01905 775083 07885626958

Stage Manager            Kathryn Hooper.

Prompt                                    Jen Cox

The set build will be in the capable hands of Brian Hooper.

There will another chance to read through the play on Friday 14^th September 7.30 in the Green Room. Although this will not be an audition, please let Anne know if there is a part you would particularly like to read.

Just a reminder that all cast must pay their subs on or before the first rehearsal and a show levy of £15.00 will be charged.