"A Sting In The Tale"

***AUDITIONS*** A STING IN THE TALE by Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner Directed by PAT STROUD Season Dates – September 19 to October 5th (12 performances) AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE THEATRE ON SATURDAY 29TH JUNE 2013 by appointment between 2 – 5pm. Please contact the director Pat Stroud via email pastroud@iinet.net.au or 0408 908 928. We are delighted to welcome back to Harbour Theatre acclaimed director Pat Stroud who previously directed “IT COULD BE ANY ONE OF US” for Harbour Theatre in 2008. Described as a murder mystery with a twist! “A STING IN THE TALE” will be Harbour Theatre’s 4th production for our 50th anniversary year. “A Sting in the Tale” is rather different from your regular whodunnit, in that it begins with a staged murder, and works back from there before the real murder - the resolution will genuinely surprise people. The action takes place in an Oxfordshire country house and takes place over one weekend. The story concerns two playwrights, Max and Nigel, who have collaborated on a number of successful mystery plays. At the moment, their creative team effort is in stasis, their financial resources are rapidly dwindling, and they are desperately searching for a new idea for their next play. Their method of working is to create a victim and then fit the mystery plot around the dead body. "We need a victim the audience would cheerfully hate," says Nigel just before his wife, Ann, walks into the playwrights' studio. CHARACTERS REQUIRED Nigel Forbes – something thing over 45. Mr Smooth. Cultured (languid) English drawl, tall, attractive, quite pompous, elegant, immaculately presented at all times, smart shoes, dresses with great taste. Max Goodman – by way of contrast is smallish, with thinning untidy hair – around 40 years of age – almost neurotic nervous energy. Clothes casual and ill-matched and wears old brogues (slip-ons). Jill Prentice – their attractive secretary. Neat and business-like. Efficient and calm. Ann Forbes – Similar age to Nigel. plainly, but well dressed, a woman of means, and a real harridan! She ‘calls the shots’ (as it were). Detective Inspector Berry – 35-40 years old. Tall, thin, walrus moustache – general ‘mournful’ look. Wears regulation 60’s Detective clothing – looking rather slept-in - dark trousers, white shirt, scruffy waistcoat, overcoat, maybe a hat. Overworked. Amateur actor in his spare time, so tends to be a bit melodramatic. They are all fairly stock characters, but there is something about each of them that makes them outstanding for their type.