Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward
Directed by Megan Dansie

AUDITIONS SUN 1 DECEMBER 2019

Season: Sunday 9 August to Sunday 30 August 2020 (inc. bump-in, tech. and dress rehearsals, performances and bump-out).

Opening Night: Saturday 15 August 2020, 7.30pm
Matinee: Sunday 16 August 2020, 4pm or Sunday 23 August, depending on Open Day –to be confirmed once the University has set the Open Day date.
Run: Wednesday to Saturday 19-23 & 26-29 August 2020, 7.30pm

Venue: Little Theatre, The Cloisters, University of Adelaide

First Read: May 2020, exact date and time to be confirmed
Rehearsals: Tuesday & Thursday evenings, 7pm-10pm & Sundays, time to be confirmed from Sunday 21 June.

Some individual sessions and character development to take place with the Director before formal rehearsals start.

Rehearsals will take place in various locations on the North Terrace Campus which will be indicated on the rehearsal schedule.

Audition Venue: Little Theatre, The Cloisters, University of Adelaide

Directions: The Cloisters is the name given to the courtyard in front of the Union Building (Union House) facing Victoria Drive and the river. The entrance to the theatre is in the south west corner of the courtyard.

SYNOPSIS:
This haunting play is one of Noel Coward’s most popular comedies.

Charles Condomine, a successful novelist, wishes to learn about the occult for a novel he is writing, and he arranges for an eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to hold a séance at his house. At the séance, she inadvertently summons Charles’s first wife, Elvira, who has been dead for seven years. Only Charles can see or hear Elvira. The ghostly Elvira makes continued, and increasingly desperate, efforts to disrupt Charles’s current marriage. She finally sabotages his car in the hope of killing him so that he will join her in the spirit world, but it is Ruth rather than Charles who drives off and is killed.

Ruth’s ghost immediately comes back for revenge on Elvira, and Charles calls Madame Arcati back to exorcise both of the spirits, but instead of banishing them she unintentionally materialises Ruth. With both his dead wives now fully visible, and neither of them in the best of tempers, Charles, together with Madame Arcati, goes through séance after séance and spell after spell to try to exorcise them. It is not until Madame Arcati works out that the housemaid, Edith, is psychic and had unwittingly been the conduit through which Elvira was summoned that she succeeds in dematerialising both ghosts. Charles is left seemingly in peace, but Madame Arcati, hinting that the ghosts may still be around unseen, warns him that he should go far away as soon as possible.

ROLES AVAILABLE:
(Please note that the roles of Madame Arcati, Charles Condomine, Ruth Condomine and Elvira have been pre-cast).

All ages given are general stage ages. English accents are required.

Edith – female, stage age 17 to 30s – She is the maid for Charles and Ruth. Always in a hurry, lovely comedic part. Lower-class English accent required – regional or London.

Dr Bradman – male – 35 to 55 – the local doctor and friend of the Condomines. He and his wife attend the séances. Upper class English accent required.

Mrs Bradman – female 35 to 55. Posh and slightly oblivious. Wife to Dr Bradman. Upper class English accent required.

AUDITION BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Appointments can be booked by emailing theatreguild@adelaide.edu.au

A 15 minute slot will be allocated per application and we will provide someone to read opposite you.

On requesting an audition slot, please ensure you advise:

• Which role you are auditioning for
• The time slot you would prefer, ie. morning or afternoon, and we
will do our best to accommodate you
(Please note we will be filling the morning slots first).
• Contact telephone number

You will be required to:

• Be familiar with extracts from the play which will be emailed to
you after an audition slot has been booked.
• Be prepared to play around with the piece during your audition.
• Be prepared to read another excerpt from the play which you
won’t see until the day. You will have an opportunity to familiarise
yourself with the text before reading it to the Director.
• Please arrive 10 minutes early to allow yourself time to prepare
for your audition and to complete an audition form.

We recommend you wear loose comfortable clothing and bring water.

Please be aware that everyone involved in a Theatre Guild show is required to be a member of the Theatre Guild. Auditions are open to anyone but any roles offered will only be confirmed once you have become a member.