Our November 2017 production will be
the hilarious dark farce
Seasons Greetings
by Alan Ayckbourn
Due to an extremely high attendance to our first reading, the planned second reading will be more of a pre-audition workshop in the hopes of allowing people to get more of an opportunity to get hands on with the characters.
You do not have to attend either the reading or workshop in order to audition; these are simply to aid those who wish to familiarise themselves with the play in advance.
Pre-audition Workshop: This evening, Wednesday 12th July
7.30pm at the Playhouse Theatre
Auditions: Monday 17th July & Wednesday 19th July
7.30pm at the Playhouse Theatre
Get a taste for the roles available with the following Character Descriptions:
Neville: Our host. The master of the displacement activity, Neville likes to fiddle. He likes to fiddle with mechanical objects. He likes to go to the pub. He doesn't like to help around the house and he doesn't pay much attention to his wife. Late 30s to mid-40s.
Belinda: Our hostess. Distracts herself from her stale marriage by keeping herself attractive and busying herself rather manically around the house desperately trying to organise everything and everyone. Her instant attraction to her sister’s ‘boyfriend’ takes her by surprise. Belinda has two young children. Mid to late 30s.
Eddie: An ex-colleague of Neville’s who tried to go out on his own and failed. Bit lumpen and lazy. Now hoping Neville might give him work and rather sucks up to him. Takes full advantage of all the free booze. Probably late 30s to mid-40s but could be older if necessary.
Pattie: Pattie is harassed and tired. She’s married to useless Eddie and she’s pregnant and she’s disappointed by both these things. They already have 3 children and the latest one is imminent. Actress will be wearing a large pregnancy bump. Mid to late 30s.
Bernard: A dispirited, ostensibly dull, GP obsessed with rehearsing and staging the excruciating puppet show he insists on performing every Christmas to a disinterested audience of children and adults alike. Irritating but good hearted. Struggles to support or cope with his ‘high spirited’ (possibly alcoholic) wife. Could be anything from early 40s to early 50s.
Phyllis: Neville’s sister. She is married to Bernard. Boredom probably drives her to drink. She embarrasses him. She is also embarrassed - by her husband’s lack of personality or drive - although she seems fond of him. She mentions that she is 39 but this could be tweaked. They have no children.
Rachel: Belinda’s spinster sister. She is in a non-sexual, non-starter of a “relationship” with Clive, a young writer she has met through a Writers Circle event. She is attracted to him, but her lack of confidence prevents her from moving things on. She mentions that she is 38 but this could be tweaked.
Clive: A verging on successful writer, invited by Rachel to spend Christmas with her family. He is divorced, having married young. He appears to be ‘going with the flow’ as far as Rachel is concerned but he is immediately attracted to Belinda. The attraction is mutual. He is younger than the others. Late 20s or early 30s.
Uncle Harvey: Uncle to Neville and Phyllis. A borderline psychotic retired security guard who imagines intruders and attackers around every corner and wears a knife strapped to his calf. Watches violent films and is particularly – and hilariously - scathing about Bernard’s puppet show. He is deeply suspicious of Clive. He mentions that he is 64 but this could be tweaked.
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Thanks to everyone who came to a lively (!) and hugely successful programming meeting on the 4th July. After 90 minutes of enthusiastic pitches and a flurry of post it notes we came up with a 'long list' of play ideas including comedies, dramas, ghost stories and some quirky offbeat refuse-to-be-categorised ideas for shows for both the main stage and green room productions. 
