AUDITIONS FOR THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG AT STAGE WEST & WATERTOWER THEATRE
Audition information for Stage West & WaterTower’s co-production of The Play That Goes Wrong, is below along with the sides for auditions. Please read the general requirements.
General notes for all auditions: Open to both Equity (SPT 6) and Non-Union. All roles are open to all ethnicities. Non-Union performers are paid for rehearsal and performances.
Actors of all ethnicities and gender identities encouraged to submit. In reference to the character descriptions below—most characters we encounter currently are on the binary and are written with he/him or she/her pronouns and you will see that in the following descriptions. But however limiting the descriptions are, our casting seeks to be as inclusive as possible and we invite gender non-conforming, genderqueer, transgender, and non-binary actors to submit for the roles they most identify with. We will also list race/ethnicity when specific to the character but are otherwise seeking all races and ethnicities. Let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide (from language developed by Kevin Kantor and Emily Tarquin from the Actors Theatre of Louisville).
LOCAL DFW ACTORS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT
Any actors requiring ADA accommodations should email EKensek@watertowertheatre.org so that the appropriate resources can be provided.
Director: Harry Parker
WaterTower Theatre Producing Artistic Director: Shane Peterman
WaterTower Associate Producer: Elizabeth Kensek
Stage West Theatre Executive Producer: Dana Schultes
Stage West Associate Producer: Garret Storms
ABOUT THE SHOW + SIDES
Sides: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo...
Welcome to the opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to fiasco. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), the whole evening is a disastrous smash. Chock full of mishaps and madcap mania, this classic murder mystery is sure to bring down the house!
Roles:
NOTE- some roles are marked as CAST because original cast members from the 2023 production are returning to their roles. Seeking understudies for ALL roles.
Annie [CAST- seeking understudy only] - Female. 25-40. The company stage manager. She has the biggest journey of any of the characters. When Sandra is indisposed Annie, who cannot bear to be on stage, must step in. Initially terrified by acting, she is willing to kill for it by the end of the play. Her initial terror turns to joy, then to fury. She starts small but grows and grows. Standard American accent.
Trevor - Male. 25-45. The company lighting and sound operator. He simply wants to get on with the show. Curmudgeonly and doesn’t care for actors. He is easily distracted and does many things he shouldn’t, including engaging with the audience. When things go really sideways, he is forced to act in the play. He hates acting. Standard American accent.
Chris [CAST- seeking understudy only] - Male. 30-45. The head of the company. High status clown. Rigid, uptight, everything really matters. He is the director of the play and plays Inspector Carter, the esteemed local inspector. this is the biggest day of his life. Everything is riding on this. It is a nerve wracking and exciting night. His pain is evident and every time someone laughs the pain deepens. He has equal amounts of contempt for his fellow actors and the audience watching the play. RP accent.
Jonathan - Male. 25-35. A member of the company. He plays Charles Haversham, the deceased. A bit bland, but sees himself as a James Bond type. Excited and having fun, but not naïve. He technically has to drive the show. He cares about the play, but not to the same extent as the others. Very physical role. RP accent.
Robert [CAST- seeking understudy only] - Male. 30-45. A member of the company, plays Thomas Colleymoore, Charles’ old school friend. Wants to be Richard Burton, as evidenced by his declamatory style. He is, however, not a parody of a bad actor. He is unaware of others around him. He does not feel badly when things go wrong and never learns from his mistakes. There is a power struggle between Robert and Chris to be president of the Cornley Poly Drama Society (a position that matters a great deal to Robert). Has real vocal power. RP accent.
Dennis - Male. 25-50. A member of the company, plays Perkins, Charles’ butler. He has no real desire to be involved in the theatre, he just wants to make friends (of which he has none). He believes if he does well in the show, he will be more successful socially. Laughter from the audience is agony for him. He may be slightly oblivious but understands when he gets things wrong. The laugher is a personal tragedy/failure. RP accent.
Max [CAST- seeking understudy only] - Male. 25-35. A member of the company, plays Cecil Haversham, Charles’ brother and Arthur the Gardner, the gardener at Haversham Manor. He has never been on stage before. He learned his lines and does exactly what he’s told to do. He has zero connection with any of the other actors, but when he gets a laugh he breaks the 4th wall to engage with the audience. Childlike and naïve. His mistakes are fundamental. he doesn’t think anything through, just looks for approval. RP accent.
Sandra - Female. 25-35. A member of the company, plays Florence Colleymoore, Charles’ fiancée and Thomas’ sister. She is vain and possesses a huge ego. Wants to be loved. Has ambitions to go to Hollywood and will hurt anyone standing in the way of what she wants but is smart enough to stay on the good side of someone who can help her (like the director). You know the type. The stakes are high for her. Very physical role. This role will appear in less than full costume with some sort of underwear revealed - this will not be prurient, but comic. RP accent.
Audition Dates/Times:
Saturday, June 29, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at Stage West Theatre
Sunday, June 30, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Stage West Theatre
Callbacks will be held Monday, July 1, 2024 at 6:00 PM at WaterTower Theatre
LOCAL DFW ACTORS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT
Audition Requirements - AUDITIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY! To make an appointment, please sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49AFA62EA7F9C61-49904074-theplay#/
Auditions will involve sides from the script. Auditions will be focused on text and character, and less on the physical business: although it should be noted that this play requires a high level of physical comedy and staged violence and danger. The script is available at the Stage West offices and the WaterTower offices. Please bring headshot and resume. Please call WaterTower Theatre at 972-450-6232 or Stage West at 817-784-9378 with any questions. Advance perusal of the script is requested. SIDES AND INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE AT STAGEWEST.ORG/AUDITIONS AND WATERTOWERTHEATRE.ORG/WORK-WITH-US
Rehearsals:
Begin at Stage West on Monday, November 4, 2024.
Rehearsal schedule is Monday through Saturday with Sundays off.
Rehearsal times are Mondays through Fridays 6:30-10:30PM, and Saturdays 1-5PM and 6:30-9:30PM.
*NO REHEARSAL/PERFORMANCE ON NOVEMBER 28, 2024
(Rehearsal times may adjust slightly with regard to team availability.)
Pick up rehearsals for performances at WaterTower will be on December 28-29, 2024 at WaterTower. Rehearsal times are subject to change.
Performances:
At Stage West: Stage West, 821 W Vickery | Performances the first week will be Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and 8:00PM, and Sunday at 2:00PM. For the remainder of the run, performances will be Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM, and Sundays at 7:30PM. NOTE: It is possible that performances may be added WITHIN the run dates. If this were to occur, cast members would be notified and compensated accordingly.
At WaterTower: Preview on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, NO SHOW on New Years Day, Thursday, January 2, 2025 through Sunday, January 12, 2025 at WaterTower Theatre. Performances at WaterTower Theatre will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights at 7:30PM, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.