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The Unfriend
24 August @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Written By: Steven Moffat
Directed By: Lucy Johnson
The story: Peter and Debbie are enjoying a cruise – a celebration of twenty years of marriage, and a break from their annoying teenagers. They befriend fellow passenger, Elsa Jean Krakowski, an eccentric American with a fondness for Donald Trump. There’s something slightly unsettling in her overeager friendliness… but there’s no point rocking the boat if you’re about to get off it.
Back home, in the comfort of suburbia, Elsa suddenly turns up on Peter and Debbie’s doorstep, unexpectedly. And when they look up their house guest online, unearthing some hair-raising evidence, their good nature is challenged as ever before. What kind of danger have they allowed to take up residence in their guest room? And can they bring themselves to say anything about it? Sometimes, the truth is just too impolite.
Roles Available:
Note: all gender presentations welcome for all characters.
Peter – Stage age: 40s – Accent: RP
Description: Peter is the epitome of the middle-class British man, always appearing “mordant and slightly cross”. Although he values his family and their comfortable suburban life, his reluctance to rock the boat sometimes leads him into awkward situations.
Elsa – Stage age: 40s-60s – Accent: American (any)
Description: Peter and Debbie meet “drawling, confident and unabashed” Elsa on cruise, where she invites herself to stay with them. Elsa’s intentions and background are shrouded in mystery, causing increasing tension and suspicion as her true nature begins to reveal itself.
Debbie – Stage age: 40s – Accent: RP
Description: Peter’s wife. A practical and forthright woman with a sharp wit. She is more assertive and outspoken than her husband, often taking the lead in social situations. Her protective nature comes to the forefront when she perceives any threat to her family’s stability.
Alex – Stage age: late teens/ early 20s – Accent: RP
Description: Debbie and Peter’s son. Alex is a typical late teen ‘adolescent’; video-game obsessed, messy and sarcastic, constantly finding excuses not to spend time with his family. Elsa’s visit opens his eyes to the wonders of exercise and a life outside of his bedroom.
The Neighbour – Stage age: 60s – Accent: British (any)
Description: Peter and Debbie’s neighbour. A drawling and dull man whose attempts at fixing a shared fence are consistently forgotten. His constant intrusions on the family’s drama are met with annoyance and frustration.
Rosie – Stage age: mid-late teens – Accent: RP
Description: Peter and Debbie’s daughter. Rosie is the youngest member of the family, bright, curious, and sometimes precocious. She is more attuned to the underlying tensions in her family than her brother, and her curiosity often leads her to ask uncomfortable questions and delve deeper into situations that the adults around her would prefer to gloss over.
PC Junkin – Stage age: 30s and upward – Accent: British (any)
Description: A local police officer. Although he only makes a brief appearance, he is a pleasantly oblivious addition to the already chaotic environment of Peter and Debbie’s home.
Rehearsals: Monday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, commencing mid-January 2025 at the Therry Clubrooms.
Performances: 30th March – 12th April 2025 at The Arts Theatre.
Auditions: 24th August 2024 at the Therry Clubrooms – 1 Regina Court, Beverly, SA. Auditions will be conducted in groups allocated based on availability and character preference.
To book an audition please use our google forms link: https://forms.gle/LinCQ5XpkKThwyK97
More Information: Any further questions please contact Lucy Johnson at lucyjohnson07@outlook.com
