"...A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce. This dizzy, well-known romp is a festival of delirium." - The New York Times
We are pleased to announce Noises Off by Michael Frayn as the first show of our 90th season. Performance dates are November 12, 13, 19, 20 at 7:30 p.m. and November 14 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. Director Lisa Pratt is looking for an energetic cast of 5 men and 4 women for this physical, fast-moving farce. Auditions will take place on Monday, August 30th and Tuesday August 31st at 7:00 p.m. with callbacks scheduled for Wednesday, September 1st, if necessary. Readings will be from the script. Auditions and performances are at the Cohasset Town Hall Theater at 41 Highland Avenue.
A bit about the play: Noises Off peeks backstage at a maniac menagerie in the form of a cast of Itinerant English actors and their stage crew rehearsing a "soon-to-be" flop called Nothing's On. Playing off the "play within a play" concept, we follow the cast through the many doors that continually open and shut, on- and backstage intrigue, and an errant herring which all figure into the plot. All of this occurs while the show is quite often upstaged by the "Noises Off" in the wings. This hilarious and classically comic play truly must be seen to be believed.
Character Descriptions for Noises Off:
Lloyd Dallas: The director of the play, Nothing's On. Temperamental. One-third of a Lloyd-Poppy-Brooke love triangle. (35 - 55)
Dotty Otley: A late-middle-aged actress. Forgetful. Dating Garry, though she attempts to make him jealous by meeting with Fred. (40 - 60)
Garry LeJeune: A stuttering actor, easily fired up, repeatedly tries to attack Fred after believing that Dotty was cheating with him. Garry hesitates and stutters in his speech The affectations disappear onstage but are ever present offstage. Along with his constant stuttering and stammering, he often completes sentences with "you know...". Dating Dotty. (40 - 55)
Frederick Fellowes: An Actor with a serious fear of violence and blood. Gets nosebleeds easily. Often questions his lines and moves, over thinks things. Blames himself often for things going wrong. Nervous. (35-55)
Belinda Blair: Cheerful and sensible, a reliable actress. She may have feelings for Fred. (30-50)
Poppy Norton-Taylor, Assistant Stage Manager: Emotional and oversensitive, envious of Brooke whom she understudies. Carrying Lloyd's child. One-third of a Lloyd-Poppy-Brooke love triangle. (25 - 40)
Selsdon Mowbray: An alcoholic man who hides his bottles onstage. If he is not in sight while rehearsing, the stage crew must find him before he passes out. (40-65)
Timothy Allgood, Stage Manager: Understudies Selsdon and Freddy, frustrated with the insane environment in which he must work all the time. (40-50)
Brooke Ashton: A young inexperienced actress from London. it is suggested that she may have once been a star in "adult films." She pays no attention to other performers, neither in performance nor backstage. She rarely takes stage direction, and continues performing regardless of any other action onstage. Is always losing her contact lenses. One-third of a Lloyd-Poppy-Brooke love triangle. (25-35)
Characters of Nothing's On:
Mrs. Clackett (Dotty): Housekeeper for the Brent's home in England. Hospitable, though slow.
Roger (Garry): Real estate agent who is attempting to rent Flavia and Phillip Brent's home, but uses it for his own benefit.
Vicky (Brooke): Works for Inland Revenue (a British Tax collection agency), and is trying to woo Roger.
Phillip Brent (Fred): Lives out of the country with his wife Flavia to avoid paying taxes. He enters the country knowing that if he is caught by Inland Revenue, he will lose most of the year's income.
Flavia Brent (Belinda): Phillip Brent's wife. She is dependable, though not one for household duties.
Burglar (Selsdon): An "older" man who breaks into the brent's home.
Skeikh (Fred): Interested in renting Flavia and Phillip's home and is the splitting image of Phillip.
In March 2011, we will present the popular and entertaining The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin. Audition dates are December 5th and 6th - keep checking back for more details!
