TTC Auditions
Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist AUDITIONS: Sunday 8th August 10.30am - 1pm at Trinity (tbc)
Recalls (if necessary) Tuesday 10th Aug 7.30pm at Trinity PERFORMANCE DATES: TUE 12 - SAT 16 OCT 2010 AT 8PM MATINEE SAT 16TH AT 3PM
This delightful, lively, if slightly irreverent political satire of a play is a gem with which I'm sure many of you will be familiar. Simon Nye's (Men Behaving Badly) adaptation brings us to London instead of Italy and updates the original piece wonderfully. Anarchic and yet so relevant given the recent histrionics of our own political world, with the accusations of corruption amongst our own MP's, Dario Fo's play is as relevant today as when it was first seen decades ago. There will be pyrotechnics, explosions and general mayhem abound. The playing ages of the characters are fortunately a moveable feast and indeed the sex so please do not feel restricted when choosing the part to audition for. The main thing is to get under the skin of the character and if you like the role then go for it! I have left plenty of copies at Trinity for you to grab and have a read, but as ever first come first served! Please let me know if you need a copy though and I will get it to you. Synopsis An alleged train bomber and anarchist falls to his death whilst in police custody. Who is responsible? Is it the thuggish Inspector and his clueless Constable? Or did the anarchist seized by a fit of "raptus" really jump out of a closed window? Who is the mysterious maniac and why does he have a wooden hand and wear flippers??? Dario Fo's classic farce of the absurdity of politics and police corruption gets a modern twist in this new version by Simon Nye. Character List The Maniac - Preferably Male - Any age. It's the main role with lots of lines and pretty much on stage for the entirety of the play. The Maniac uses speech and actions to directly reflect the general political and police manipulations that the play is designed to expose. In the course of his "impersonations" (and there are a few), the Maniac tricks the policemen and officials into revealing that they are part of a cover-up concerning the details of the Anarchists death. The Maniac is a manifestation of the madness surrounding him. Excellent physical, comedic, character part, allowing the actor full access to a range of styles and interpretations, never stops, always interesting and is pivotal to the whole production, timing is essential and will challenge the individual - but oh what fun and OH WHAT A PART!! Constable (s) (at least two possibly three) - Male/Female any age. At least one is on stage a fair amount and whilst does not say an awful lot HAS to be able to act through expression and movement and be completely solid. Again needs to be believable and is in cahoots with the Inspector/Superintendent. When ordered to do something by a superior, he/she follows orders immediately. However, she/he is not above a certain self-preserving caution. Lovely role. Inspector - Male any age -Buffoonish, blustering, authority figure, large role which has to be played totally straight and steeped in reality, comic timing and believability essential. Superintendent - Could be Female/Male any age, The Superintendent of the play reacts defensively when the Maniac, (masquerading as judge), poses questions that appear to suggest a suspicion of wrongdoing on his part; he is pleased when the Maniac seems to be supporting what he did when he interrogated the anarchist; he is nervous when he cannot quite figure out what the Maniac is up to in his questioning. Another buffoonish authority figure in cahoots with the Inspector similarly needs to be played "real" and have superlative comic timing and a range of acting abilities - Large Role
Inspector Bertozzo - Male - Another buffoon of the three upper-echelon police characters Inspector Bertozzo spends the least amount of time on stage. He has a role at the play's beginning, as the policeman interviewing the Maniac for impersonating a psychiatrist. He sees that the Maniac has been arrested many times for impersonation and does not believe the Maniac's claim that he is mad and therefore not responsible for his actions. He seems intent on finding a way to make a charge against the Maniac stick. In Act 2, Inspector Bertozzo returns as an important element in the play's closing farce. Small but pivotal. Again a great character part requiring excellent timing and believability. Lovely role.
Journalist - Female Known as the Journalist in Fo's play, the character arrives at the police station to ask questions about the growing scandal concerning the death of an anarchist suspect in police custody. The character is a faithful representation of an experienced journalist: polite, cool, and hard-hitting in her questions. This character is based on a real journalist, Camilla Cederna, who was then a reporter for the Italian weekly L'espresso. Cederna, like Feletti of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, uncovered real evidence of police corruption. Contrary to the Maniac, the journalist believes that scandal is beneficial, leading to real change and having the potential to deliver justice through the exposure of lawbreakers. It's a farce - so it's fast!! Great fun and a lovely contemporary piece. The plan is that rehearsals will start on Tuesday 24th August (7.45 - 10.15pm) and Thursday (7. 45 -10.30pm) evenings and Sunday rehearsals will begin on 29th August either from 10.30am or 1.30pm depending on cast preference. Obviously this may change due to holidays depending on who is cast. A full rehearsal schedule and venue map will be e-mailed to you before our first meeting. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions before the auditions on 07909881347 or helen.thorpe@southeastwater.co.uk or helentudball@btinternet.com the home address I dip into periodically.
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