Audition Notice for “Calendar Girls” by Tim Firth
MVLCT Is thrilled to announce auditions for our next 45th Anniversary production Calendar Girls, directed by Kerry Covington (House of Blue Leaves, Rumors).
Audition Dates:
Sunday, February 9 at 7:00pm in the Uptown Theatre at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon
Monday, February 10 at 7:00pm in the Uptown Theatre at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon
Callbacks (If needed) Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 in the Uptown Theatre at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon
Performance Dates:
April 4-5 and 11-12, 2025 at 7:30pm and April 6, 2025 at 2:00 pm in the Uptown Theatre at the First Street Community Center in Mount Vernon
Audition Information:
This show is open to auditioners aged 18+.
Auditioners should be prepared for cold readings from the script.
Come dressed to move.
Bring your schedule of conflicts and a writing implement.
Fill out our audition form online here or at auditions.
Synopsis:
When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women's Institute members to pose nude with them for an "alternative" calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their newfound fame.
Based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund, Calendar Girls opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre and has since become the fastest-selling play in British theatre history.
Courtesy of Concord Theatricals
“Although the women of the real calendar came from all over England, accents from Glasgow to Texas can make the same part their own and will therefore be accepted. ”
Character Descriptions:
Chris* - 40s/50s (Lead) You want Chris at your party. She will talk to people she doesn't know, find things to say to fill silences and generate laughter. Without Chris in her life, Annie would be better behaved, her life less fun.
Annie* - 40s/50s. (Lead) Annie will join in mischief but is at heart more conformist and less confrontational than Chris. She has enough edge to be interesting, and enough salt not to be too sweet.
Cora* - 40's. (Lead) Cora's past is the most eclectic, her horizons broadened by having gone to college. She is the joker in the pack but never plays the fool. Her wit is deadpan. Sings several times throughout the show.
Jessie* - 60s/70s. (Lead) A lover of life, Jessie doesn't bother with cosmetics - her elixir of life is bravery. Jessie goes on roller coasters and will correct your grammar.
Celia* - 35-50. (Lead) Celia is a woman more at home in a department store than a church hall. She's rebellious in a way that sets her apart from her peer group.
Marie - 50's. (Supporting) The WI is a trophy to her, which justifies her entire existence. There is a lingering part of Marie that would love to be on that calendar.
Ruth* - 40s. (Lead) Marie's right-hand woman. Eager to please but not a rag doll. Has a strong emotional arc, journeying from emotionally abused to the genuine self-confidence of a woman happy in her own skin.
Brenda - 40s/50s. (Supporting) A dull guest speaker.
John - 50s. (Supporting) Annie's husband. John is a human sunflower. Not a saint. Not a hero. Just the kind of man you'd want in your car when crossing America. When he dies it feels like someone somewhere turned a light off.
Rod - 50s. (Supporting) Chris's husband. You have to be a certain type of guy to stick with Chris and Rod loves it. He can give back what he gets, and has a deadpan humor. John was truly his mate, even if they met through their wives.
Lawrence/Liam - late 20's. (Supporting) The photographer/commercial director. Hesitant without being nerdy. Patient. Shy but enough wit to make a joke. Arranges the shots but only sees the photos.
Lady Cravenshire - 60s. (Supporting) Lady Cravenshire doesn't mean to be so patronizing but those girls from the WI seem from another world. When she makes an entrance, she makes an entrance. She is not a tweed wearer.
Elaine - 20's. (Supporting) A young beautician.
*This character will be modeling for the calendar with the illusion of nudity during the performance.
