New Era PLAYERS in the Art in the Foyer series Mediterranean Life

Auditions for Lords and Ladies, adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel
Very informal ad hoc auditions on Monday 15th June from 7pm at the theatre. If
you can’t make that evening, please email me at dawnsellick@gmail.com and
we’ll sort out either a Saturday at the theatre or an online audition.
Rehearsals will probably be Mondays and Thursdays, at first not in
chronological order but in character order, so I’ll do all the rude mechanicals
scenes at once, for instance.
Production dates are 10th-19th September.
Lords and Ladies is roughly and vaguely A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But with
witches, young and not so young, a king and his former witch/bride to be, rude
mechanicals, a couple of wizards in human form and one who may be in a furry
costume or may operate a furry puppet, and a group of beings from another
realm, don’t say their name, they’re glamorous but evil. Tolkien got it wrong!
Their appearance is one of the themes of the play, how people can be
bamboozled by glitz and glamour and not see the evil beneath.
There are about 30 characters and 32 scenes. This gives scope for some
doubling of parts, depending on what you want to do, and how many people we
have. The three roles who are on stage for about half the play, and
consequently with more lines, are the ‘original’ coven of witches, two of them
have been around longer than the third, to give you a rough idea of ages. The
younger one, Magrat, is engaged to the King, and has quite a bit of character
development.
The coven of younger witches, 4-5 of them, should look or at least behave
considerably younger. They don’t have many lines and are only in a few
scenes, so unless you really want a very small role, you will be doubling as an
elf. These are evil but glamorous, again, not many lines.
Other female roles include the Elf Queen, glamorous and evil, who is only in a
couple of scenes but has a few threatening lines in both of them. Another one
who could play additional roles. Then there’s the queen-to-be’s maid, Millie,
keen on royal etiquette, in a few scenes with a few funny lines. She can also
play Young Esme in the opening scene, confronting the Elf Queen.
For men, we have a group of artisans who are putting on a play, not that they
really understand what it’s all about. Funny and will be doing a violent Morris
dance. In a few scenes, sharing the lines out between them. Their leader is
Jason, the blacksmith, a bit brighter than the rest of them and with more lines.
His younger brother, Shawn, has every job at the castle and is in a few scenes
with a few lines.
From the big city we have three wizards: Ridcully the archchancellor, who’s into
hunting and fishing and trying to re-ignite his youthful romance with a witch,
Ponder Stibbons who is researching magic/science and not at all keen on the
countryside, and the wizard librarian. Who is an orangutan. See earlier note
about furry orange costume. Ridcully is in several scenes and has a moderate
amount of lines, Stibbons has less to say, the librarian says ook.
The royal beekeeper just has one, important, scene, a dialogue with Magrat. He
can also play the Elf King, who sorts out the Queen in the end, not many lines
but also important.
King Verence is in several scenes and has a moderate amount of lines, he has
well-meaning plans to bring the kingdom up to date and has no experience
with women so isn’t handling his forthcoming wedding very well.
For more information and detail, email me!

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