Hi-de-Hi!
Synopsis
Hi-de-Hi was a sitcom that aired on BBC1 in the 1980s. It is set in Maplins Holiday Camp owned by entrepreneur Joe Maplin in the fictional seaside town of Crimpton-on-Sea during the 1950s and 1960s. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad’s Army and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.
The title (hi-de-hi) was the phrase used to greet the campers. The play surrounded the lives of the camp’s management and entertainers; it is loosely based on Butlins, but the redcoats are replaced with ‘yellow coats’.
All characters play an important part in the plots and, although some characters have more lines than others, all characters have a chance to shine throughout all show.
Hi-de-hi has been described as a summer pantomime and, although not as slapstick, it certainly has something for everybody and should go down well with audiences. So, why don’t you come along and have a go? I promise you won’t be disappointed and I am sure you will have some fun too!
Information and dates
The show will be directed by Tony Catchpowle and produced by Steve Carley. We are both very excited about the show and are sure it will be a great hit. So why don’t you come along audition. We have both done auditions before and know how nerve racking it can be, so we will try and make it as stress-free as possible.
If you have any questions or just want to have a chat about the show, give us a call or drop us an email.
Performances
Thursday, April 19th – Saturday 21st and Thursday, April 26th – Saturday 28th, 2012, at 7.30pm.
Rehearsals
Mondays and Thursdays.
Read-through
Thursday, November 10th, 2011 – 7.30pm.
Auditions
Sunday, November 20th, 2011 – 10am to 4pm.
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 'get together' / rehearsal.
Characters - The Management
Jeffrey Fairbrother, Entertainment Manager – (Age 35-55)
Once a Cambridge professor and joined Maplins Holiday Camp as Entertainment Manager, hoping it would give him an insight into the lives of everyday people; however, he fails to connect with campers and the entertainment staff. He is an honest and forthright man and often embarrassed by Ted Bovis’s toilet humor and schemes to scam the campers.
Gladys Pugh, Chief Yellow coat / Sports Organiser – (Age 25- plus)
Passionately in love with Jeffrey Fairbrother, although he does not reciprocate this. Gladys dislikes all of the other female yellow coats, Sylvia Garnsey in particular, who she sees as competition in her fight for Fairbrother’s affections. Like Fairbrother, she also disapproves of Ted’s schemes to scam the campers, even though she secretly has her own scheme selling reconditioned tennis balls. There is one scene where she helps a drunken Jeffery back to his chalet. The following morning he awakes with no memory of the previous night but finds Gladys’ bra in his bed!
Ted Bovis - Camp Host – (30- plus)
Ted is the camp’s host and is very popular with the campers and has a dry sense of humour. He runs all the entertainment events, supported by Spike. He hates his job at Maplins as he believes his talents are wasted on the lower classes who holiday there, but his scams to cheat the campers out of money, which include fake birthdays, raffles, fund-raisers and rigged bingo, always seem to raise a smile. However, when is ex-wife arrives to try and extract some money from him, both Ted and his colleagues have to go into over-drive on the scams.
Spike Dixon Camp Comic (20-35)
Spike often tries to branch out into his own style of comedy, designing and making his own costumes and funny sequences. These receive mixed reactions from the campers, but Ted criticises almost all of them. He is an incredibly honest and law-abiding man and is the only member of the entertainment staff who doesn’t run his own scheme to scam the campers for money. Spike and Ted are well-acquainted and there are humorous scenes between the pair as they try to keep the campers and Jeffrey Fairbrother happy.
Fred Quilley Riding Instructor – (25 plus)
Fred was once a qualified jockey but lost his license after being caught in a horsebox with a syringe and now works for Maplins as the riding instructor. He shares a chalet with Mr Partridge, even though they both hate each other - Fred hates Partridge smelling of alcohol and Partridge hates Fred smelling of horses.
Yvonne Stuart-Hargreaves - Dancing Instructor – (25 plus)
Yvonne is incredibly supercilious and believes she is socially above all other members of the entertainment staff, with the exception of Jeffrey Fairbrother. It is questionable why she actually works at Maplins as she believes it to be a “dreadful, common place”. She always tries to keep her dignity and high-class values while at Maplins, but this is not made easy when she is forced to participate in the entertainment events with husband Barry. She dislikes most of the entertainment staff, Ted Bovis and Mr Partridge in particular.
Barry Stuart-Hargreaves, Dancing Instructor – (25 plus)
Barry took Yvonne’s last name for the sake of their careers and is often heavily criticised by Yvonne for his etiquette, which annoys him intensely. Although his official jobs are to teach dance and give ballroom demonstrations, Barry is regularly chosen against his will to be the victim of the campers in the entertainment events. As a ballroom dancer, Barry can be a bit camp at times.
Mr Partridge -Children's Entertainer – (55 plus)
Mr Partridge is the eldest member of the entertainment staff and the only one to be called by his last name out of respect to for Victorian values. He entertains the camper’s children performing Punch and Judy shows and magic tricks, but over the years has become dispirited by the lack of respect he receives from the increasingly bad-mannered children who stay at the camp. Therefore, he slips into seasonal alcoholic benders and regularly takes it upon himself to discipline the unruly children.
Yellowcoats
Sylvia Garnsey (20 plus)
Known for her long legs and attractive appearance, she regularly clashes with Gladys over Jeffrey Fairbrother. Sylvia is a qualified swimming instructor and enjoys flirting.
Gary Bolton (20 plus)
A very vain man, obsessed with women and his appearance and spends most of his time pruning himself, but he is showing signs of wear.
Tracy Bentwood – (20 plus)
The attractive brunette and former club champion in tennis who was also a league basketball player. Like most of the yellow coats, she also clashes with Gladys several times.
Hilary Bovis (Ted Bovis ex-wife) (20 plus)
Very bossy lady and can be played by one of the female yellow coats as she only has one scene.
Peggy Ollerenshaw - Chalet Maid – (20 plus)
Always aspiring to be a yellow coat. In addition to her regular duties, she often helps out the entertainment staff and can always be seen in the evenings in the Hawaiian ballroom enjoying (and often joining in with) the evening entertainments. She frequently tries to get involved in the entertainment events, but is always stopped by Gladys, who forbids Peggy’s involvement because she is not on the staff.
