A plucky amateur dramatic theatre is about to produce a show called Murder Most Foul, a new “murder mystery play” with the same title as an Agatha Christie novel but with no relation to it whatsoever. The director/theatre manager, Gerry, thought producing the play was a good idea since the inexperienced playwright has agreed to let the company perform the show for no charge. Gerry, however, had no idea what disasters awaited her: the show is hilariously amateur, the “murder mystery” plot doesn’t really have a murder, and to top it off the playwright keeps changing the story and script only two days from its premiere! It doesn’t help that the cast is disgruntled, and the playwright accidentally deletes the entire sound effect board. All of the disasters come to fruition in Act III when the company performs the actual show with hilarious mishaps at every turn. It’s essentially a precursor to the ‘plays that go wrong’.
This is a great opportunity for some of the cast to play 2 roles, so you will need to think about naturalistic characters with the ability to ham it up with the best. There are also various sizes of roles and a good mix of ages. It is an American play but we will be setting it based somewhere in England so no need to worry about accents. (Director Neil Lovegrove)
If you want to read a script before the auditions, it is available online as a PDF, but if you want borrow a paper copy to read before the auditions please see Owen Brooks at the theatre office Mondays-Saturdays between 9.30 and 12.30, or you can contact the Director, Neil Lovegrove on email. nlovegrove@hotmail.com or phone 07889018137.
Performance dates are 8th to 12th July 2025
Audition dates are :
Sunday 16th March at 7pm and Sunday 23rd March at 2pm, both in the theatre lounge.
There is a 3rd provisional date for call backs if needed but I would like to keep to these dates if possible.
The Cast of Characters is:
Aggie/ Algernon Manvillle – Stage manager (any age)
Geraldine “Gerry” Dunbar – Director (40+)
Henry Benish / Lord Dudley Actor (50+)
Polly Benish / Lady Margaret Actor (similar age to lord Dudley)
Marla “Smitty” Smith / Doris the maid Actor (16-25)
Saul Watson / Dr Rex Forbes Actor (30-50)
Billy Carewe / Stephen Sellars Actor (20-35)
Violet Imbry / Diana Lassiter Actor (20-35)
Louise / Lewie Peary sound and lighting technician (Any age)
Phyllis Montague, Author (50+)