Auditions – 2027 Season

Written by Danny Robins; Directed By Mitch Ralley

Performance: 29th March – 3rd April 2027
Casting: 10th December 2026, 7.00pm – 9.45pm in the Green Room Cellar Bar & 13th December 2026, 10.00am – 12.45pm, venue to be confirmed.

Having chilled West End audiences over the past five years, The Green Room will be one of the first amateur performances of this tale of time, place and spirit.

Jenny, Sam and baby Phoebe are a young family in a new home. New to them, rather. At 2:22 A.M. every night, Jenny hears a sound crackling over Phoebe’s baby monitor. Sam is sure that the laws of physics will provide an explanation. But when their old friend Lauren and her new partner come round for a belated housewarming, no-one can agree what that explanation is. Together, they agree to stay up until 2:22 to settle the mystery for good.

Cast Required

• Jenny – 30s, a primary school teacher
• Sam  – Her husband, a physics professor and writer
• Lauren – Their old friend from university, a psychotherapist
• Ben – Her new boyfriend, a builder
• There are also minor rôles of two police officers –  Ideally these actors will also be involved backstage in execution of the many special effects across the show.

2:22 offers fantastic opportunities for visual, sound, and prop design coming together to create an immersive and realistic experience. Even if you are really interested in acting please don’t let that put you off being part of our team of creatives. It won’t harm your chances. There will be an initial production meeting on Tuesday 15^th September 7pm at Lofty Escape, West Tower St CA3 8QT, please come along and bring your imagination.

Please email ghoststory2027@yahoo.com or message 07518 982 446 to book a 20 minute slot (if unavailable on either date, others can be provided). Reading will be from the play script and no preparation is necessary.

Adapted by Sam Holcroft; Directed by Jason Munn

Performance: 8th – 13th February 2027
Casting: 29th December 2026, 6:30pm in the Green Room Cellar Bar

Rules For Living is a dark, inventive comedy by British playwright Sam Holcroft that explores how unconscious coping mechanisms and unwritten rules govern our behaviour during family gatherings.

The play takes place in real-time on Christmas Day as an extended middle-class family gathers in the kitchen for a traditional festive lunch. Matriarch Edith demands absolute perfection and rigour while preparing the meal and welcoming back her stroke-paralysed husband, Francis, from the hospital.

As brothers Adam and Matthew arrive with their partners and children, what begins as a tense holiday tradition quickly unravels into a chaotic disaster of buried resentments, bitter grudges, and flying food. What sets the play apart is its literal, theatrical display of psychological defence mechanisms: five of the characters must strictly follow behavioural rules (projected visually for the audience like a game show) tied to specific triggers, such as needing to clean, to stay calm, drinking when contradicted, or standing up to tell a joke.

The cleverness of the play is that the audience knows the rules governing each character while the characters themselves don’t necessarily understand what is happening. Those rules gradually become more elaborate… It has the recognisable family-comedy appeal of an Alan Ayckbourn-style play, but the theatrical device gives it something considerably more contemporary and distinctive.

Cast Required

• Edith (50s to 70s) – The family matriarch. Meticulous, controlling and determined to make Christmas perfect. She cleans to keep calm and hides considerable emotional frustration beneath a veneer of politeness.
• Matthew (30s) – Edith and Francis’ younger son. A successful solicitor who originally wanted to be an actor. Charming but desperate to please everyone. Must sit and eat to tell a lie, making this a physically demanding recurring gag.
• Adam (40s) – Matthew’s older brother. A former professional cricketer whose career failed to reach expectations. Now a lawyer, he is sarcastic, competitive and frustrated. Uses accents and name-calling to mock people.
• Carrie (20s to 30s) – Matthew’s girlfriend, an aspiring actress. Loud, enthusiastic and desperate to succeed. Her coping mechanism is that she must dance around when telling a joke.
• Sheena (40s) – Adam’s wife and Emma’s mother. Intelligent, tightly wound and increasingly frustrated with   her marriage. She uses alcohol as part of her coping mechanism and becomes increasingly confrontational.
• Francis (60s to 70) – Edith’s husband and father of Matthew and Adam. He has been in hospital and uses a wheelchair. Initially almost completely unable to speak, his arrival has a major impact on the family.
• Emma (14) – Adam and Sheena’s daughter. She remains upstairs for much of the play and is dealing with anxiety/depression and the difficult relationship between her parents.

Casting note: The playing ages given for Rules for Living are indicative rather than prescriptive. Casting will be based primarily on how convincingly the actors’ playing ages work together as a family, as well as chemistry, character fit, and the ability to handle the play’s physical and comedic demands. There may, therefore, be some flexibility around the ages of individual characters, provided the overall family relationships remain credible

Contact Details: jasonjmunn@gmail.com

Written by Sandy Rustin; Directed by Kate Sparkes-McSevich

Performance: 17th – 22th May 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

It’s a dark and stormy night and you’ve been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well…dead. So, whodunnit?

Cast Required

• Wadsworth – A traditional butler in every sense: uptight,  formal, and by the book. He is the driving force in the play.
• Yvette – A loyal and sexy French maid.
• Miss Scarlett – A dry, sardonic madam, more interested in  secrets than sex.
• Mrs. Peacock – The wealthy wife of a member of the House of Lords. A bit batty, neurotic, and quick to hysteria.
• Mrs. White – A pale, morbid, and tragic woman. Mrs. White may, or may not, be the murderer of  her five ex-husbands.
• Colonel Mustard – A puffy, pompous, dense blowhard of a military man.
• Professor Plum –  An arrogant academic, easily impressed by himself.
• Reverend Green –  A timid yet officious rule follower. He’s awfully anxious.
• Ensemble woman – Plays: The cook a gruff woman with a threatening presence; Singing telegram girl; A tap dancer with a heart of gold; Backup officer, backup for The Inspector.
• Ensemble man #1 –  Mr. Boddy, a slick, Frank Sinatra, film noire-esque type fella; The Motorist, a professional driver; Inspector, A cop who helps save the day.
• Ensemble man #2  – Bobby, a regular Joe; Backup officer, backup for The Inspector.

Written by Robert Harling; Directed by Olivia Buchana

Performance: 5th – 10th July 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

All the ladies who are ‘anybody’ in Chinquapin, Louisiana come to Truvy’s beauty salon to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoo and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a ‘good ole boy’.

An immensely warm tragicomedy where the relationships between generations will be emphasised as a new voice takes on a classic.

Cast Required

• Truvy Jones (40ish) – Owner of the beauty shop.
• Annelle Dupuy-Desoto (19) – Beauty shop assistant.
• Clairee Belcher (66ish) – Widow of former mayor.  Grande dame.
• Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie (25) – Prettiest girl in town.
• M’lynn Eatenton (50ish) – Shelby’s mother. Socially prominent career woman.
• Ouiser (pronounced “Weezer”) Boudreaux (66ish) – Wealthy curmudgeon. Acerbic but lovable.

The women in this play are witty, intelligent, and above all, real characters. They in no way, shape or form are meant to be portrayed as cartoons or caricatures.

Written by Tom Kempinski; Directed by Jo Murray

Performance: 2th – 7th August 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

Duet for One is a play by Tom Kempinski that has been presented in the West End starring Frances de la Tour and David de Keyser and more recently Juliet Stevenson and Henry Goodman.

It explores the emotions and reactions experienced by Stephanie Abrahams , a concert violinist of world-wide renown who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and faces the loss of her career and identity.

The play is set in the consulting room of the psychiatrist Dr Alfred Feldmann over 6 consecutive sessions – over an unspecified period of time- and explores Stephanie’s fears, hopes, relationships with her family, and music, as her reaction to the devastating diagnosis changes over time.

Although on the surface the subject matter is dark, the verbal tennis-match-sparring between Stephanie and Dr Feldman is exhilarating and eye opening and has toe curlingly comic moments . It’s a beautiful piece of theatre writing.

Cast Required

• Stephanie Abrahams (30/40s) – Concert violinist
• Dr Alfred Feldman (any suitable age) – Psychiatrist, German

Written by Dave Malloy; Adapted from War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy; Directed by: Joe Desborough, Heather Hood & Lexie Ward; Musical Directors: Jonathan Millican & Hannah Ord; Choreographers: Holly Neaves & Ria John

Performance: 11th – 16th October 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed to be a part of the company. Further internal auditions will be held with in rehearsals for principal parts.
Rehearsals: Monday evenings to start, and then Monday and Thursday evenings from after Easter.

From the Celebration of Musicals team comes this exciting  electropop-classic tale of love and passion based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha Rostova arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé from the front lines. When she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, the ripple effects are felt across society as her family and friends scramble to save her reputation- including family friend Pierre who grapples with his own existential crisis as the night sky glistens with the bright

Cast Required

• Natasha (19) –  Female, 19-year-old ingénue. Profoundly, lethally romantic, innocent, and doughy-eyed. But beneath that naive outer layer there is an element of steel and titanium. Belt/Soprano (G3-F#5, belt to C5)
• Pierre (30s to 40s) – The socially-awkward, illegitimate son of an old Russian grandee. A melancholy outsider, despite his great wealth. Gruff, pessimistic, and detached. Married to Helene. Baritone/Tenor (G2-B4)
• Anatole (Late 20s to 30s) – Male Aristocrat. Power and Rake-ishness incarnate. Seductive hedonist. Ambisexual – think David Bowie. Becomes captivated by Natasha, but is she just another of his whims? Brother to Helene, brother-in-law of Pierre. High Operatic Tenor (C2-C#5).
• Sonya (20s) – Natasha’s dear friend and confidante, she has lived with Natasha’s family like a daughter since childhood. Passionate, selfless, loyal, and devoted to her friend.  Mezzo (G3-E5, belt to A4).
• Helene (Female, Late 20s to 30s) aristocrat, the queen of society. Deceptive and amoral. Highly sexualized and a wicked sense of humour. Married with no  sense of devotion to Pierre, sister to Anatole. Chesty Alto (E3-F5, belt to B4)
• Marya D (Female, 30s-50s). The grande dame of Moscow, a mother figure, old fashioned and chatty but deeply kind. Strong sense of humour, self-awareness. Glamorous. Natasha and Sonya have come to stay with her and she serves as their guardian. Cabaret Alto (F3-B4, belt to B4).
• Dolokhov (Male. Late 20s to 30s). An enigmatic officer, hedonistic and a bit of a sociopath. Droll sense of humor. Fiercely intelligent. Alternately remorseless and regretful. Having an open relationship with Helene. Baritone (D3-F4)
• Princess Mary (20’s to 30s) – Lonely, plain, spinster daughter of the wealthy Prince Bolkonsky. She is cut off from the world in her father’s grand old house and resigned to his cruelty. Mezzo (A3-Eb5, belt to C5, plus operatic soprano to C6).
• Prince Andrey (Early 30s to 40s) – Prince Andrey is the finest catch in all of Russia. A handsome and noble officer, very serious, a touch gloomy after years at war, plus his difficult family. Old before his time, he carries a weight in his heart and mind. Baritone (F2-Eb3).                              .
• Old Prince Bolkonsky (Late 50s to 70s – actor can be aged up) – A conservative, old-fashioned  aristocrat whose dementia causes him to be alternately nasty and incapacitated. Lives with his still unmarried daughter Princess Mary, whom he torments but also relies on to take care of him. Growly Baritone-Tenor (G2-Eb4).
• Balaga Male (Late 20s-40s) –  A Russian troika driver, an absolutely mad fantasy-like character. Has supernatural abilities with his troika and can drink incredible amounts. Lower class. Bold. Dripping with energy. Ragged and raw but warm. Whiskey Baritone (A2-E4).
• Ensemble – The ensemble is integral to the show. Strong singer/actors, with dance experience a plus, but not required.

Written by FrankenWalt

Performance: 1st – 11th December 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

On the day of his daughter’s wedding, Don Panto Corleone attempts the put the differences of the duelling families in his kingdom aside to grant any favour asked of him. But when the evil witch Malvagia interrupts proceedings and kidnaps his daughter, the families must put aside their differences to rescue the princess. Cue some angry mobs, bolognese battles, and more good fellas than you can shake a tommy gun at.

Cast Required

• Don Panto – Leader of PastaPanto Kingdom of which there are many duelling clans.
• Consig. Larry  – Don Panto’s right-hand man who has eyes
• Princess Penne –  Don Panto’s daughter who gets kidnapped  on her wedding day.
• Big Pasta’ Frank Fusilli  – The muscle of the PastaPanto Kingdom, loyal to The Don.
• Malvagia  – An evil witch who rallies members of the kingdom unhappy with The Don’s leadership.
• ‘Riga’ Tony Tortelloni – Malvagia’s main puppet in infiltrating the Kingdom. Hard of hearing.
• Maggie Macaroni – An outsider looking to ask a favour of The Don, with her desires getting lost in the event of the day.
• Sammy spaghetti – A loose cannon who switches sides at the drop of a hat.
• Ensemble – Many rôles available for several more actors but can be shared between just two!

Written and directed by Pat Harkness

Performance: 29th April – 1st May 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

The Full English
Barbara and Norman’s kitchen, table set for breakfast. Barbara dressed in dressing gown and pyjamas and Norman fully dressed are sitting at the table when they hear their neighbour’s dog barking.  What follows is not only alarming, but when neighbours and then the police arrive things become not only mysterious but confusion occurs.

Iced Buns
They have attended the christening of their neighbour’s grandson, then Maud has invited them back to her house for tea and buns.  She has something to tell them but only them, so what could it be that Maud only wants her closest friends to know?  Come and find out

Cast Required for The Full English

• Barbara and Norman  – A middle-aged couple
• Jim – a neighbour. Elderly
• Sally – a neighbour. Mid 30’s
• PC Dickinson and Constable Dudley – Policemen/women

The neighbours and police are very small parts but vital to the story.

Cast for Iced Buns

• Maud – Sandra Keiling
• Winnie – Kath Paterson
• Nellie – Dawn Armstrong

The three ladies are back by popular demand!

Written by David Greig; Directed by Nick Stanley

Performance: 23th – 25th September 2027
Casting: Audition date and venue to be confirmed

A man is found lying in the snow at the foot of the Pyrenees. He remembers nothing. He believes he is British. A young woman from the British Consulate is dispatched to confirm his nationality and to try to piece together his identity. When Vivienne, a middle aged woman from Edinburgh arrives, she presents him with a history he doesn’t recognise. Is he really who she says he is?

Cast Required

• The Man – Playing age 30-70
• Vivienne – A diplomat, 25 to middle aged.
• Anna – Playing age 30-70
• The proprietor – Middle aged to late middle aged.