The Play that Goes Wrong
AUDITION DATES
Saturday, March 4th at 2 p.m. (Optional Audition Workshop)
Monday, March 13th at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14th at 7 p.m.
Audition Packets can be found here.
(The contents of this linked folder can be edited/updated by me at any time. Make sure to check for up to date information at the beginning of March.)
AUDITION CONSIDERATIONS
The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, & Henry Shields
THE STORY
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave the audience aching with laughter!
IMPORTANT DATES
Tech starts May 28th (2 weeks)
Dress starts June 11th
Show Dates:
Friday, June 16 at 8pm
Saturday, June 17 at 8pm
Sunday, June 18 at 6pm
Friday, June 23 at 8pm
Saturday, June 24 at 2:30pm (Only if justified by ticket sales - leave open.)
Saturday, June 24 at 8pm
Sunday, June 25 at 2:30pm
THE CHARACTERS
As with any play-within-a-play, you have the complication of the characters of the actors doing the play-within-a-play and the characters within the play-within-a-play. To make it a little simpler, the names are laid out below in two lists: firstly the members of the Cornley Drama Society who are putting on the play, and secondly the characters of The Murder at Haversham Manor. The script always uses the actors' names rather than the characters' names. The challenge for those cast in The Play That Goes Wrong will be to develop the actor's character based on how they portray the play-within-a-play's character.
Members of the Cornley Drama Society (in order of appearance):
ANNIE, the company's stage manager. American accent. Annie has a strong technical background but is shy onstage. This changes gradually and drastically as she is forced into certain situations throughout the play.
STAGE CREW, the Cornley Drama Society's stage crew.
TREVOR, the company's lighting and sound director. American accent. Trevor is only working with the drama society for a course credit and is often easily distracted. He is also thrown into the onstage mayhem later in the play.
CHRIS, the head of the drama society and director of the play-within-a-play. RP accent. Also plays Inspector Carter. A typically perceived "community theatre director", Chris often knows what should be going on despite the fact that he may not have communicated it effectively to his cast and crew. Gets visibly frustrated and tries to correct things while performing in the play-within-a-play.
JONATHAN, plays Charles Haversham. RP accent. Although he spends most of the play "dead", he is placed in situations where he must physically adjust his performance to accommodate for the mistakes of others (and of his own). He is also a key component of the play-within-a-play's epic conclusion.
ROBERT, plays Thomas Colleymore. RP accent. Robert has a booming stage presence and is concerned with performing his role perfectly while also rolling with the punches and doing his best to compensate for the play-within-a-play's mishaps.
DENNIS, plays Perkins. Submissive RP accent. Dennis is a very "green" actor who often writes difficult words on his hand and has trouble recovering from the unexpected. He is also very concerned with how the audience reacts to him.
MAX, plays Cecil Haversham and Aurthur the Gardener. RP and cockney accents. Max is a true "ham" and thrives off of the audience's response to his overacting. In spite of his overabundance of confidence, he is typically unwilling to go "all the way" in his romantic scenes with Sandra.
SANDRA, plays Florence Colleymoore. RP accent. Sandra is the ego-driven leading lady whose actions are exaggerated and whose instincts often miss the mark. She is very protective of her role in the play-within-a-play as well as her role in the drama society as the best (that they can get) female performer.
Characters in The Murder at Haversham Manor (in order of appearance):
CHARLES HAVERSHAM, the deceased.
THOMAS COLLEYMOORE, Charles' old school friend
PERKINS, Charles' butler
CECIL HAVERSHAM, Charles' brother.
FLORENCE COLLEYMOORE, Charles' fiancée and Thomas' sister
INSPECTOR CARTER, an esteemed local inspector
ARTHUR THE GARDENER, the gardener at Haversham Manor
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director - Josh Martin (jacemartin@gmail.com)
Assistant Directors - Susan Courtney and Ethan Schaffer
Production Assistant - Rachel Martin
Costumers - Veronica Fields and Ronnie Talbott
Props & Special Effects - Marsha Mueller
Technical Director - John Gradwohl
Saturday, March 4th at 2 p.m. (Optional Audition Workshop)
Monday, March 13th at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14th at 7 p.m.
- Attendance at both nights of auditions is not required, but recommended
- Auditions will consist of analyzing the different actors traits (workshop), reading scenes, and improvisation games
- Auditionees should wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move
- All actors should be 18+ and possess strong comedic and dramatic acting ability
- There are two main accents utilized in this show: American and Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, the instantly recognizable accent often described as "typically British” (One character must also use a cockney accent in addition to the RP accent)
Audition Packets can be found here.
(The contents of this linked folder can be edited/updated by me at any time. Make sure to check for up to date information at the beginning of March.)
AUDITION CONSIDERATIONS
- All actors must be comfortable with staged, controlled physical “abuse”. (i.e. being stepped on, sat on, hit, slapped, falling down, etc.) These elements will be safe and rehearsed to obtain the desired, most realistic effect
- Actors may be asked to alter their appearance (i.e. cut/change hair or facial hair, cover tattoos and remove piercings, swap faces with John Travolta, etc.)
- Backstage tech crew may make appearances onstage occasionally
- Max, Chris, Robert, and Sandra must perform spit takes
- Jonathan is spit on by Max during one of the spit takes and also has powder dropped in his face
- Dennis has water thrown in his face
- Robert, Dennis, Chris, and Jonathan must be comfortable with heights as they must perform on the second floor platform
- Robert climbs to, Chris jumps from, and Jonathan falls from the second floor platform
- A comical stage kiss is shared between Max & Sandra and Max & Trevor
- Sandra must be dragged and lifted by other actors while appearing unconscious
- Sandra performs Act II in only her underwear (camisole and bikini briefs)
- Robert and Max must perform some light fencing
The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, & Henry Shields
THE STORY
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave the audience aching with laughter!
IMPORTANT DATES
Tech starts May 28th (2 weeks)
Dress starts June 11th
Show Dates:
Friday, June 16 at 8pm
Saturday, June 17 at 8pm
Sunday, June 18 at 6pm
Friday, June 23 at 8pm
Saturday, June 24 at 2:30pm (Only if justified by ticket sales - leave open.)
Saturday, June 24 at 8pm
Sunday, June 25 at 2:30pm
THE CHARACTERS
As with any play-within-a-play, you have the complication of the characters of the actors doing the play-within-a-play and the characters within the play-within-a-play. To make it a little simpler, the names are laid out below in two lists: firstly the members of the Cornley Drama Society who are putting on the play, and secondly the characters of The Murder at Haversham Manor. The script always uses the actors' names rather than the characters' names. The challenge for those cast in The Play That Goes Wrong will be to develop the actor's character based on how they portray the play-within-a-play's character.
Members of the Cornley Drama Society (in order of appearance):
ANNIE, the company's stage manager. American accent. Annie has a strong technical background but is shy onstage. This changes gradually and drastically as she is forced into certain situations throughout the play.
STAGE CREW, the Cornley Drama Society's stage crew.
TREVOR, the company's lighting and sound director. American accent. Trevor is only working with the drama society for a course credit and is often easily distracted. He is also thrown into the onstage mayhem later in the play.
CHRIS, the head of the drama society and director of the play-within-a-play. RP accent. Also plays Inspector Carter. A typically perceived "community theatre director", Chris often knows what should be going on despite the fact that he may not have communicated it effectively to his cast and crew. Gets visibly frustrated and tries to correct things while performing in the play-within-a-play.
JONATHAN, plays Charles Haversham. RP accent. Although he spends most of the play "dead", he is placed in situations where he must physically adjust his performance to accommodate for the mistakes of others (and of his own). He is also a key component of the play-within-a-play's epic conclusion.
ROBERT, plays Thomas Colleymore. RP accent. Robert has a booming stage presence and is concerned with performing his role perfectly while also rolling with the punches and doing his best to compensate for the play-within-a-play's mishaps.
DENNIS, plays Perkins. Submissive RP accent. Dennis is a very "green" actor who often writes difficult words on his hand and has trouble recovering from the unexpected. He is also very concerned with how the audience reacts to him.
MAX, plays Cecil Haversham and Aurthur the Gardener. RP and cockney accents. Max is a true "ham" and thrives off of the audience's response to his overacting. In spite of his overabundance of confidence, he is typically unwilling to go "all the way" in his romantic scenes with Sandra.
SANDRA, plays Florence Colleymoore. RP accent. Sandra is the ego-driven leading lady whose actions are exaggerated and whose instincts often miss the mark. She is very protective of her role in the play-within-a-play as well as her role in the drama society as the best (that they can get) female performer.
Characters in The Murder at Haversham Manor (in order of appearance):
CHARLES HAVERSHAM, the deceased.
THOMAS COLLEYMOORE, Charles' old school friend
PERKINS, Charles' butler
CECIL HAVERSHAM, Charles' brother.
FLORENCE COLLEYMOORE, Charles' fiancée and Thomas' sister
INSPECTOR CARTER, an esteemed local inspector
ARTHUR THE GARDENER, the gardener at Haversham Manor
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director - Josh Martin (jacemartin@gmail.com)
Assistant Directors - Susan Courtney and Ethan Schaffer
Production Assistant - Rachel Martin
Costumers - Veronica Fields and Ronnie Talbott
Props & Special Effects - Marsha Mueller
Technical Director - John Gradwohl