Auditions for Hay Fever
The Altarena Playhouse announces open auditions for Noel Coward’s comedy Hay Fever.
Director: Frederick L. Chacon
Audition Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
7:00 - 10:00pmAudition Location: Alameda High School Little Theatre, on the corner of Central Ave. and Walnut, Alameda MAP
Performance dates: July 11 - August 10, 2008. Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm. Sundays at 2:00pm.
Rehearsal period: June 2 - July 10. Weeknights & Weekends.
Stipend: $100 for the run.
Appointments are preferred, but not mandatory. Drop-ins welcome. Please email hayfever-auditions@altarena.org to schedule an appointment. No phone calls, please.
All auditioners should prepare a one minute comic or farcical monologue in British dialect. No material from Hay Fever, but auditioners are encouraged to choose material from the Noel Coward library of plays.
Character breakdown:
Myra Arundel – Age range 30 - 35
Well-dressed, confident, and sophisticated, Myra is invited to the Bliss house by her admirer Simon but coolly rebuffs his advances; her real motive in accepting the weekend invitation is to meet his novelist father, David. Before Myra even appears on stage, Simon’s mother, Judith, describes her as a ‘‘self-conscious vampire’’ who ‘‘goes about using Sex as a shrimping net.’’David Bliss - Age range 45 – 55
David, Judith’s husband and Simon and Sorel’s father, is an absent-minded writer, wrapped up in his latest book. Although his works—which have titles like The Sinful Woman and Broken Reeds— are popular, he admits that they are actually ‘‘very bad novels.’’ Less melodramatic than his flamboyant wife, David nevertheless is equally self-involved and self-obsessed.Judith Bliss - Age range 45- 55
Judith is David’s wife and Simon and Sorel’s mother. A well-known stage actress who has temporarily retired, she made her name in melodramatic plays with names like Love’s Whirlwind and The Bold Deceiver, which she admits were not that good even though the public loved them. Bored with everyday life, she amuses herself by acting out exaggerated roles and theatrically misinterpreting ordinary situations. During the course of the play, she takes on the demeanor of the rural lady of the manor, the long-suffering mother, the glamorous star, the flirtatious coquette, the betrayed lover, and the wronged wife, among others.Simon Bliss - Age Range 22 – 26
Simon is Judith and David’s adult son. He first appears on stage looking disheveled and unwashed, and, like the rest of his family, he seems to care little about other people’s opinions. In contrast to his sister, he has no desire to reform the Blisses’ unconventional and often inconsiderate ways, remarking, ‘‘we see things differently, I suppose, and if people don’t like it they must lump it.’’ In typical Bliss fashion, Simon is given to extremes: expressing energetically his adoration for the worldly Myra one minute, then seducing the innocent Jackie the next.Sorel Bliss – Age 19
Sorel is Judith and David’s adult daughter. She is the only member of the Bliss family who expresses any concern about their unorthodox behavior. Despite her attempts at selfimprovement, Sorel remains very much a Bliss: eccentric and unconventional. At the end of the play she and her family are absorbed in their argument about the trivial details of David’s novel, oblivious to the departure of the tormented weekend guests.Clara - Age range 50 – 60
Described in the stage directions as ‘‘a hot, round, untidy little woman,’’ Clara is a long-suffering Bliss family employee. Originally Judith’s dresser at the theater, she is now the over-taxed family housekeeper. Clara must deal with the imposition of four unexpected weekend guests all by herself because the maid is home sick with a toothache.Jackie Coryton - Age 25
Jackie is the ‘‘perfectly sweet flapper’’ David has invited for the weekend because ‘‘she’s an abject fool but a useful type’’ and he wants ‘‘to study her a little in domestic surroundings.’’ Described in the stage directions as ‘‘small and shingled, with an ingenuous manner,’’ she is shy and ill at ease from the start.Richard Greatham - Age range 35 – 45
Richard is the ‘‘frightfully well-known diplomatist’’ Sorel has invited for the weekend. Described in the stage directions as ‘‘iron-gray and tall,’’ his instinct for politeness is revealed in his first moments on stage when he manages to keep up some sort of conversation with the shy Jackie while they wait in the hall.Sandy Tyrell - Age range 25-30
Sandy is the amateur boxer Judith has invited for the weekend. In her words, he is ‘‘a perfect darling, and madly in love with me.’’ Described in the stage directions as ‘‘freshlooking’’ with an unspoiled, youthful sense of honor and rather big hands, owing to a ‘‘misplaced enthusiasm for boxing,’’ Sandy has an athletic form that contrasts with Simon’s less-developed physique. Having fallen in love with Judith when he saw her on stage, Sandy at first can’t believe his good fortune in being her houseguest. He is soon disillusioned, however, by the discovery that she has a husband.
About the play:
Noel Coward’s name is synonymous with sophisticated comedy and uniquely British wit. In this most theatrical of plays, he pulls out all the stops and delivers a dizzy mixture of manners, misunderstandings, and absolute madness. Hay Fever centers around the four members of the eccentric Bliss family, who each invite a guest to stay at their country house for the weekend. As the guests arrive, it becomes apparent that a weekend in the country with this unhinged family is anything but “bliss.” Hay Fever is a loopy, light-hearted farce guaranteed to get you through the summer with a smile.
Appointments are preferred, but not mandatory. Drop-ins welcome. Please email hayfever-auditions@altarena.org to schedule an appointment. No phone calls, please.
