The Rondo Theatre Company is Auditioning...

Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis

7.30-10.00pm Tuesday 9 October
6.00-9.00pm Sunday 14 October
at the Rec Pavilion, Bath*

*make sure you come to the right pavilion! See Directions below

Performance dates 27th-30th March 2019

Directed by Sue Sedgwick.

The Rondo will be turned into a seventeenth century theatre for a play which shows that female exploitation in the entertainment industry is nothing new, and that women have been fighting to be taken seriously as performers with spirit and humour throughout history. Shocking, moving and funny, Playhouse Creatures is the story of the first professional actresses to appear on the English stage.This is an ensemble show: all the parts are well-characterised, important and fun to play.

No preparation required. The audition will comprise in part, of reading from the script.

Doll Common / 40-60
The only entirely fictional character in the play. She works for the theatre as dresser, stage manager, occasional walk-on. Earthy humour and a no-nonsense manner.
Mrs Betterton / 45-65
Senior actress. She has status because of her husband, actor-manager Thomas Betterton, and because of her own formidable personality and acting skill. Commanding, funny and poignant.
Mrs Marshall /25-35
Actress. Recently seduced and then abandoned by the Earl of Rochester, she has come back fighting. Glamorous and tough.
Mrs Farley / 20-30
Actress. Initially innocent, she is swept off her feet and then destroyed by the attentions of the King and his circle. Vulnerable and impulsive.
Nell Gwyn / 20-30
Orange-seller who becomes an actress and then the King’s acknowledged mistress. Determined and fun.
Mrs Barry / 18-25
Actress. Genuinely talented – and the one the Earl of Rochester falls in love with. Ambitious and grounded.
Earl of Rochester / 30-45
Fashionable, charismatic and decadent: the Johnny Depp part from The Libertine. A close friend of the King, he is sometimes too irresponsible even for him. Mrs Barry is his weakness.
Thomas Otway / 25-60
A starving writer of boring, over-long plays and occasional crony of the Earl.

*Directions: the Rec Pavilion is NOT the pavilion by the Sports Centre. Reach it from Pulteney St by following the signs to ‘Bath Rugby William St Entrance’ down William St, go through the turnstile and it’s on your right: a green building with a red roof facing onto the Rec

If you are unable to make either audition – or can’t find us – please contact Sue on 07855 349108 susanesedgwick@outlook.com