Malvern Theatre Co. Inc.
VDL Awards Entry: 2021
Author: Agatha Christie
Director: Peter Newling
Genre: Drama
Agent: Concord Theatricals (Samuel French)
Synopsis
Following the success of ‘Our Town’ in 2018, Peter Newling has chosen to direct another classic at Malvern Theatre Company – and this time it’s a courtroom drama by Agatha Christie. The affable Leonard Vole is being tried for the murder of a wealthy woman – defended by Sir Wilfred Robarts. Unfortunately his alibi depends on the testimony of his callous wife, who after the discovery of a legal loophole, decides to appear in court against him. To Sir Wilfred’s surprise this is only the first in a series of puzzling revelations and reversals. Courtroom thrills to warm your winter!
Characters
Characters Summary:
F x 4 (1 x teen, 1 x 20s, 1 x 30s, 1 x 40+)
M x 9 (2 x 30s, 4 x 50+, 1 x older, 2 x any age)
Characters Description:
Greta
20s or early 30s. Secretary/typist for Sir Wilfred. Brash and confident – sure of herself. Represents ‘the next generation’. Many of her lines represent the ‘common sense’ or common public view. Cockney accent. Supporting role.
Carter
30s. Junior solicitor/clerk in Sir Wilfred’s chambers. Likeable, diligent sort of chap. An up-and-coming law clerk, eager to please. Generic English accent. Supporting role.
Sir Wilfred Robarts
55+. Respected senior barrister and main defence attorney. Well regarded for sound judgement and reasoning. To-the-point without being rude or impolite. Genuinely interested in the foibles of person-kind. Auditionees should not feel bound by the characterisation in the film. Formal English accent. Major role.
Mr John Mayhew
50+. Vole’s solicitor. Described as shrewd and rather dry and precise in manner. Well respected in legal circles for his diligence and commitment to his clients. Personable and efficient. Formal English accent. Large role.
Leonard Vole
Early 30s or thereabouts. Hugely likeable young man. Needs to convincingly portray ‘the innocent’ – the one to whom things happen. Friendly and engaging. Genuinely perplexed by the situation he finds himself in. Lower class English accent. Major role.
Inspector Hearn
50+. Police inspector who will end up providing a lot of the prosecution evidence in Act 2. Rather humourless and officious. Carries himself like a long term member of the force. English or regional UK accent. Supporting role.
Romaine
30s. The ‘wife’ of Leonard Vole. Passionate and serious. An underlying cunning must be hidden behind an outer vulnerability. The audience should not know whether to trust her or not. Speaks with some sort of eastern European accent. Major role.
Mr Justice Wainwright
60+. Honoured and respected judge. Runs a tight ship in his court, and has no time for nonsense or games. Only appears in the court scenes. Formal English accent. Minor but important role.
Mr Myers QC
55+. QC for the prosecution. Starchy, self confident and self important. Doesn’t seek to be likeable, so isn’t. No fun at parties. Only appears in the court scenes. Formal English accent. Supporting role.
Janet McKenzie
40+. Spinsterly attendee to the murder victim. Gruff but caring. Makes no secret of who she likes/trusts and who she doesn’t. Not big on tact or nuance. Prefer Scottish accent. Smallish role – only appearance is as a witness.
The Other Woman
Late teens. Very small but vital role. Doesn’t come into it until the last page of the play. Confident, perhaps a little flirtatious, and besotted by Vole. Lower class English accent. Would be great if the successful auditionee would be willing to double as ASM.
Dr Wyatt & Mr Clegg
Any age but 30+. Both roles give evidence for the prosecution in the court scenes. Depending on casting, the testimonies may be combined with Inspector Hearn’s to make 2 decent sized roles instead of 3 smaller ones.
Precast Characters:
none
Audition Venue & Dates
Audition Dates and Times:
2:00pm on:
7:00pm on:
Audition Venue Name: Malvern Theatre
Audition Venue Address:
29 Burke Road
East Malvern
Audition Enquiries Contact: Peter Newling email: peter.newling@gmail.com
Performances
Season Dates: 25 Jun 2021 - 10 Jul 2021
Showtimes:
2:00pm on:
- Sat 26th Jun 2021
- Sun 4th Jul 2021
- Sat 10th Jul 2021
8:00pm on:
- Fri 25th Jun 2021
- Sat 26th Jun 2021
- Wed 30th Jun 2021
- Thu 1st Jul 2021
- Fri 2nd Jul 2021
- Sat 3rd Jul 2021
- Wed 7th Jul 2021
- Thu 8th Jul 2021
- Fri 9th Jul 2021
- Sat 10th Jul 2021
More info
Other Information
Other Information:
Auditions are strictly by appointment. Please email the Director to arrange a time. Please bring a brief resume to your audition.
Successful cast members MUST BE available for rehearsal period (Read Through April 20 - note change from 22, rehearsals commencing after the ANZAC long weekend) as well as all production dates (June 25 to July 10 2021). Rehearsals are Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Please check you are available for all performance dates before booking your audition time. Please also inform the Director at your audition, if there is a possibility of you taking on professional work that may conflict with rehearsal and performance dates.
A copy of the script will be provided, together with a list of the sections to be read at audition. It is expected that auditionees will have read the play and have a reasonable understanding of it.
