AUDITION NOTICE
(Non-union, non-paying.
We do not cast full equity or ACTRA members.)
MURDER WEAPON
by Brian Clemens
Show dates: November 1 to 23, 2019
Director: Jennifer Monteith
Producers: Rosemary McGillivray & Trevor Marlatt
AUDITIONS will be held at the Village Playhouse, 2190E Bloor St. West (around the corner from Runnymede subway station) at the following dates and times:
• Saturday, August 17: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Sunday, August 18: 5:00 to 9:00 pm
• Monday August 19: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Callbacks (if necessary): Tuesday, August 20 from 6:30 pm
REHEARSALS: will be held at the Village Playhouse. First read: Sunday August 25 at 10 am-1 pm (may change). Rehearsals will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-10 pm, and Sundays 1 – 5 pm; and every night of tech week beginning Sunday, October 27th (full day on the 27th).
PLAY SYNOPSIS: When Chief Constable Jessica Bligh accompanies her friend Diane Tulliver home to Dysart Hall after a night at the opera, they arrive to a horrifying scene. Diane’s husband Paul has been shot dead and ex-convict Charley Mirren is standing over him bearing a gun. It appears to be an open-and-shut case for Chief Constable Bligh, but as she and her colleague Inspector Fremont probe further, they discover all is not what it seems.
Murder Weapon is an ingeniously plotted, highly tense thriller. Like all the best mysteries, it gets more and more complicated and confusing before it’s resolved. Time period is the present.
For more about the play, click HERE.
CHARACTERS (4 or 5 men; 2 or 3 women). The role of Constable Walters may be played as a female character
* (ages given are character ages, not actor’s ages)
- Jessica Bligh: Chief Constable. Female, late 40’s. Bligh may be ex-Army with excellent posture and bearing, but she isn’t overly masculine and she’s not above bending the rules a bit. Bligh is new to the job, but she’s calm, smart and wants to investigate Paul’s death properly.
- Inspector Fremont: Male, around 45 – 50. Fremont is an old-school, working class cop without much education. He’s been there, done that, has too many cases on the go and doesn’t want to waste time on something that’s so cut and dried. But hidden way down deep is curiosity and a genuine desire to see justice done.
- Constable Walters: Male or Female, any age. This is Walters’ first murder… show us how you think the character will handle it.
- Charley Mirren: Male about 50, looks older. Charlie is a loser. He has a lot of anxiety, fear, a blind respect for authority, and has clearly been let down by everyone in his life. Charlie has just finished a lengthy stretch in prison, but despite all his drawbacks, there is something endearing about him.
- Hugo: Male, around 35. Hugo is handsome, suave, has a friendly face and is a good psychiatrist. He is also a master at getting what he wants.
- Diane: Female, about 30. Sexy and well-put-together, Diane is an accomplished amateur actress. She is clearly distraught at her husband’s murder, trying to be strong but needing support.
- Paul: Male, well over 40. Diane’s husband Paul can be rather stilted, but he loves his wife, in a comfortable, been-married-a-long-time way. He’s obviously older than Diane and is very happy with his life.
The role of Constable Walters and Paul may be played by the same actor.
PREPARATION: Please prepare a 3-minute monologue. Please read the play prior to the audition as you will be asked to do cold readings from the script. Accents are not necessary. A copy of the script is available upon request from the audition coordinator and at the Toronto Reference Library.
TO BOOK AN AUDITION: Please email a copy of your headshot and resume to villageplayersauditions@gmail.com with your preferred date, time, role(s) you are interested in, and contact information.
Please also bring a hardcopy of your resume and headshot (photocopy is fine) to your audition.
To see a copy of The Village Players Policy for Respect of All Members, click HERE
“If you get a chance to act in a room that somebody else has paid rent for, then you’re given a free chance to practice your craft.”
~ Philip Seymour Hoffman on auditioning
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