Seasoned actors

MINDGAME BY ANTHONY HOROWITZ AUDITION INFO Main Characters: 2 Males, 1 Female. All stage ages: Late 40’s to early 50’s. British Accents (NOT ESSENTIAL BUT DESIRED) Minor non-speaking cast/backstage: 1 Male, 2 either. Mark Styler is a writer of ‘true crime ‘stories who arrives at Fairfields hospital for the criminally insane intent on interviewing a notorious serial killer, Easterman, for his upcoming novel. He meets Dr. Farquhar, the hospital director; however things don't seem quite right. Dr. Farquhar‘s assistant Nurse Plimpton seems frightened of something. Styler’s fight for a story may be his last. Suspense, intrigue, twists and turns and a question of sanity, all served with a scrumptious peppering of jet black comedy. “Don’t forget to Breathe” Nurse Plimpton: She starts off by making the audience aware that all is not right with what is happening at Fairfields. She is firstly presented as a character that is trying to hold it together but is very frightened of something that is happening. She is nervy, fidgety, not sure of what to do. The next time we see her she is very much the victim and trying to hide something, trying to discourage Styler from staying, lying about what is going on. Plimpton needs to be subtle at times. Her facial expression and body language will carry her words. The person playing Plimpton needs to be ok with being roughhoused (gently of course) and wrestled (Yes there needs to be physical touching to be wrestled). She also need to present intense emotion with contained fear when she is threatened to be killed. Nurse Plimpton is the smaller of the three main roles and the only character to leave the room (Stage). She is the only connection to anything outside the Dr’s office. Mark Styler: Styler, a writer, arrives at Fairfields thinking he is going to interview Easterman, a notorious Serial Killer. After the realisation that he may not get the interview he seeks he sets his sights on manipulating to stay (or it may seem) and convince the Dr to allow him what he wants. Styler starts off as a typical journalist a bit pushy, a bit egotistical being polite to get what he wants. There are soon the cracks. The audience sees that the Serial Killer Writer is a bit unhinged himself. He has a blood lust to write about the macabre. Styler omits a large range of emotions with subtle changes, through to intense dark passion and fear. This is a fairly physical role being able to move around in a strait jacket from floor to standing and be roughhoused (gently of course) and to threaten & roughhouse Plimpton. He has a good spattering of funny lines. So needs comic timing. Dr. Farquhar: Farquhar seems a bit dim witted at first. A bit of the, absent minded professor. Not having a grasp on what is going on. He doesn’t remember writing to Styler or inviting him for an interview. He is at times formal and detached with a spattering of jovial superiority. As with Styler the cracks start to appear. The subtle darkness of his character leaks through. He also has a detached, matter of fact, blend to his torturous behaviour that at times swings into a macabre pleasure. Farquhar is also physical. He wrestles with Plimpton and is knocked out with a blow to the head (gently of course). So needs to fall to the floor. He also has a good spattering of funny lines. So needs comic timing. Audition Date: Saturday 17th December From 10am Where: Hackett Hall (Not UWA), Draper Street, Floreat For your Audition time & package please email Jenny Contact: jenmarree@hotmail.com Rehearsals break over the Christmas/New Year period. If you choose to cold read you may turn up on the day but I would prefer that you are prepared. You may also have to wait. Show Dates: March 2 – 17, 2012 http://www.theatre.asn.au/audition/2011/mindgame