"The Birthday Party" Stage Play Searching For Cast
Auditions for Harold Pinter’s "The Birthday Party". In search of cast. ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE CONSIDERED. Please see the breakdown below. About the project: In this “comedy of menace”, two strangers, Goldberg and McCann, arrive at a boarding house on the coast and upset the order of Petey and Meg’s boarding home and their one guest, Stanley. When the guests contrive to throw a birthday party for Stanley, even though it might not be his birthday, things turn ugly for Stanley, who is being punished for a mysterious crime. Pinter chooses his words like a jazz musician chooses their notes. This dark comedy sings a fascinating off-beat tune. Every scene is a battle of words. This will not be your grandfather’s Pinter production. The production will have the flavor of McDonagh’s dark humor, whose own plays are influenced by Pinter. Rate: This is all-volunteer, community theater. All roles are unpaid. Additional info: Actors will read from selected scenes from the play, which will be sent out, but you will not be expected to have them memorized. Accents will be required for this show. Be prepared to demonstrate your ability. All the roles are English except for McCann, who is Irish. The show will have a dialect coach. Note: This play contains both physical and mental violence. It also contains the depiction of sexual activity. An intimacy and fight choreographer will be part of the production team. Callbacks: Callbacks, if needed, will be held on Tuesday, July 30th from 7-10pm by invitation only. Rehearsals will be on two weeknights and Saturday morning/afternoon based on availability. Some rehearsals may be via Zoom. The first readthrough will be on Thursday, August 1 Rehearsals will begin on Monday, August 12. Tech will begin on Sunday, September 29 and run daily through Thursday, October 3. Shows are October 4,5,11,12,18,19 in the evening and on October 12 in the afternoon. There are strikes on each Saturday night, and resets on Tuesday or Wednesday in between show weekends. All cast members are required to participate in strikes and resets. If you are interested, please apply.
6 roles
A quiet, affable man who is a deck chair attendant. Husband to Meg. Makes a brave attempt to stand up to Goldberg and McCann.
Fastidious proprietor of the boarding house. She lives in her sheltered world with her own rules. She swings between treating Stanley like her son and flirting with him. Think of it like a British Edith Bunker.
Haunted by his past, he lives in the boarding house and rarely goes outside. At some point, he was a concert pianist. He is frightened and prone to striking out. This role will contain the depiction of sexual activity.
Young, cheerful friend of Meg. She flirts with the housebound Stanley. At the birthday party she is seduced by Goldberg and taken advantage of sexually by him. This role will contain a brief depiction of sexual activity.
A charming, cruel man who is the leader of the team sent to get Stanley. He steers all the conversations that he is involved in. A wild and unreliable storyteller. This role will contain the depiction of sexual activity.
A strong presence. He is the enforcer of the pair. Irish. Needs to be able to passably sing a short Irish song.
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