We Happy Few

OLD MILL THEATRE, SOUTH PERTH

AN OTHER UPDATE AS OF jANUARY 9TH! 

AUDITIONS: SATURDAY JANUARY 31st 2009 (Also please see later)

for "We Happy Few"

SEASON: May 1-16th 2009

A comedy drama inspired by the true World War II history of the Osiris Players.  The play is about the adventures of a small group of women who come together to form a ‘girls only’ theatre company to take the plays of Shakespeare around cultural-starved Britain.  These hopelessly mismatched individuals from entirely different social backgrounds embark on a crazy journey.  Together and separately they are forced to discover what life is like without men, and, eventually how they must survive when they only have each other.  Bits of Shakespeare.  A Bit of Panto. Bits of Song and Dance.  Bumbling comedy, inciteful wit and scenes of honest drama.  An uplifting, touching and often hilarious story of overcoming adversity with dogged determination and a passion for theatre!
 
 
CAST NEEDED :  10 WOMEN, 3 MEN

Various English Accents required. Different regions/classes.  Song and dance skills/experience helpful but not essential (this is a group of enthusiastic yet amateur performers after all!).  Two roles require
musical instrument abilities, one requires good singing ability.
 
 
THE CHARACTERS

Hetty Oaks
Female, 30s-40s+, middle class.  The founder and driving force of the troupe.  This is her story. Determined, passionate, yet hiding a sad vulnerability.
 
Flora Pelmet
Female, 30s-50s, middle class.  Hetty’s best friend.  Helpful, supportive, but often mucks things up!

Helen Irving
Female, 40s-50s, upper class.  A famous radio performer.  Snobby, superior, a fading talent.

Rosalind Roberts
Female, 20s, upper class.  Helen’s daughter. An aspiring actress.  Bright, earnest, thoughtful.

 
Jocelyn Thripp
Female, 50s-60s+, upper class.  A whimsical eccentric.

Ivy Williams
Female, 20s, working class, maybe from the Midlands.  Aspiring singer/dancer. (Billie Holiday meets Josephine Baker!  There will also be a Singing Audition for this role) Talented, but lacks confidence.

Gertrude Rosenbaum
Female, 40s-60s.  Jewish German refugee.  Piano Player.  (Can play classical bits to wartime songs.  There will also be a Musical Audition for this role.)   Grumpy, often rude, but at heart, helpful and sincere.

Charlotte (Charlie) Peters
Female, 20s, working class.  Tomboyish jack-of-all-trades. Flippant, playful, yet a hard worker.

Joseph Rosenbaum
Male, 20s, son of Gertrude Rosenbaum, also a Jewish German refugee. A Musician. (Plays instument such as trumpet/trombone/saxaphone.  There will also be a Musical Audition for this role.).  Charming young man full of kindness and helpfulness, although his English is a little dodgy!
 
Reggie Pelmet
Male, 50s-60s, middle class.  Flora’s cousin.  Helps around the troupe.  A jolly/"soldier on" person.
 
and then there will be three actors required to play various roles :

King Arthur/Leonard/William/Mayor/Child/ARP Man
Male, 40s-50s+.  An Actor, The Man from the Ministry, an Auditionee, a drunken Toastmaster, a Panto Audience Member and a wartime Warden.

Shop Assistant/Henrietta/Maureen/Betty/Child
Female, 30s-50s.  Shop owner, an Auditionee, Ministry Secretary, a School Teacher, a Panto Audience Member.

Theatre Director/Elsie/Kath/Child
Female, 20s-30s.  A Theatre Producer, an Auditionee, a Radio Producer, a Panto Audience Member.
 

, AUDITIONS will be held at the Old Mill Theatre, with up to three people in each one-hour time slot at the following Dates/Times :

SATURDAY JANUARY 31 2009 1-4 PM, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1ST 10 AM TO  4.00 PM

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3RD  7-9 PM

AND NOW: SATURDAY FEB 7 FROM 2 PM AND SUNDAY FEB 10 AM TO 1 PM

Audition pieces will consist of speeches by one or more of the characters above, plus the St Crispen's Day speech from Henry V. These will be emailed out close to the audition dates.

TO BOOK AN AUDITION OR FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES;

EMAIL : simon_james63@hotmail.com         phone: 9362.4080