AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
When you attend any WLT audition, please bring with you an AUDITION FORM already filled in, and a non-returnable PHOTOGRAPH.
COMPLEAT FEMALE STAGE BEAUTY
by Jeffrey Hatcher
directed by Chris Baldock
Season: April 19 – May 5, 2012
AUDITIONS: Sunday 22 and Tuesday 24 January 2012 from 7.30pm
2 Albert Street, Williamstown
Auditions by appointment only.
To book an audition time and/or request a script, please contact the director via email: chris.baldock@gmail.com
It is 1661. The most famous portrayer of female roles on the London stage was a performer named Edward, or Ned, Kynaston. Law dictated that only men were allowed to act on the stage. In fact the theatres had only opened the year before after being closed for 18 years under the Puritan rule. Ned is a celebrity, applauded onstage and off for his interpretations of Shakespeare’s tragic ladies: Ophelia, Cleopatra, but especially for his Desdemona and his famous “death scene” which both opens and closes the play in very different interpretations. Ned’s the toast of the town and the very secret “mistress” of the powerful Duke of Buckingham, who sees Ned as the characters he portrays and not as the person he actually is. One night at an illegal theater, an unknown named Margaret Hughes plays Desdemona. Instead of shutting down the show, King Charles II, due to an unfortunate incident involving his mistress Nell Gwynne, changes the law to allow women to act. And not only that, but women must now be the only ones to play the female roles. So overnight, Ned loses his livelihood, his lover, his sense of self and, after a brutal act of revenge, nearly his life. And as the likes of Nell, and Ned’s former dresser, Maria, become stars, his own light disappears. Unable to shake the feminine characteristics he has perfected over the years, he is reduced to performing bawdy songs in drag in music halls, while Margaret’s career thrives, though her abilities leave much to be desired, as she bases everything she does on Ned’s performances. The opportunity arises for Ned to seek his revenge with astonishing results.
Roles:
Edward Kynaston: (25-35. Major role) The last male actor to play female roles in the Restoration. Skilled actor required. Believable and beautiful as a woman, while still commanding and handsome as man. Kynaston is fighting to hold on to his identity in a quickly changing world. Comfortable with Shakespearian text. Also needs to be comfortable with partial nudity and with a romantic scene with another man.
Margaret Hughes: (25-35. Major role) The first actress of the Restoration. Ambitious and eager to become an actor on the stage. Experienced actress required who can play at “bad” acting as well as being comfortable with Shakespearian text.
Thomas Betterton: (30-40) A major actor of the Restoration. Powerful and confident. Comfortable with Shakespearian text.
Samuel Pepys: (30+) The famed diarist. Charming and enthusiastic; quite the theatre fan.
Villars, Duke of Buckngham: (30+) A prominent aristocrat; masculine and powerful. Should be comfortable with a romantic scene with another man.
Maria: (20-30) A Seamstress. She is enamored of Kynaston and dreams of a better life for herself.
Lady Meresfale: (20+) A rich theatre patron.
Miss Frayne: (20+) A rich theatre patron.
Sir Charles Sedley: (30+) A rich writer. Foppish. Ms. Hughes’ financial supporter.
Charles II: (30+) The King. Commanding and energetic; he’s open to new experiences and ideas.
Nell Gwynn: (18-25) His mistress. Longs to be an actress but lacks the ability. Strong comedic skills. Non-sexual, partial nudity required.
The following roles may be doubled with some of the above roles if necessary (particulary Pepys/Hyde), or will be cast separately depending on suitable auditionees.
Hyde: (45-55) The Prime Minister
Male Emillia: (20s-30s) An actor
Female Emillia: (20s-30s) An actress
Ruffian One
Ruffian Two
Ruffian Three
Sir Peter Lelly
Thomas Killigrew
Mrs. Elizabeth Barry
Bouncer
PLEASE NOTE: Compleat Female Stage Beauty concerns very mature subject matter and contains instances of partial nudity, profanity and sexual situations. It is intended for mature audiences.