Double Bill
Endgame by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Jeanette Hoile
'Dentity Crisis by Christopher Durang
Directed by Catherine Ellis
Auditions: Sunday 10th February 6pm, Monday 11th February 8pm and Tuesday 12th February 8pm
Performances: Tuesday 3rd - Saturday 7th June 2008, Bell Theatre
Endgame by Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett is one of the 20th century’s most brilliant playwrights and Endgame is considered to be his funniest and finest play. A black humour pervades an Absurdist take on the subject of despair and the will to survive in an uncomprehending and incomprehensible world.
Two men, master and servant, exist in a post apocalyptic shelter, with an aged couple inhabiting two dustbins nearby. The two protagonists are mutually dependent, with Hamm the tyrannical older man, blind and crippled, bullying his younger servant, Clov, who suffers disabilities of his own.
Hamm and Clov form a challenging and at times, farcical, double act, with Nagg and Nell interjecting sharp and poignant reminiscences of their own. “Nothing is funnier than unhappiness” opines Nell tellingly.
The play is full of surprises and the tragedy of the situation is offset by a fairly steady tone of burlesque and farce. The play will linger in your memory long after the curtain has fallen.
Characters
HAMM A strong, powerful, declamatory, theatrical character who commands the stage without leaving his chair. Blind and unable to walk, he torments Clov while contemplating his plight. He needs an audience for the stories he weaves. A larger than life character who knows he is facing death. 40s – 50s upwards
CLOV A servant and “son” to Hamm, they have a symbiotic relationship which neither of them can break. Although Hamm has the combination to the larder, it is only Clov who is mobile and able to fetch the food.. He longs to leave but is unable to go. A lot of humour is generated from the rituals and farcical situations that he enacts, and his dry comments throughout. 20s – 30s
NAGG Husband to Nell and father to Hamm. After mistreating his son earlier in life, he is now at Hamm’s mercy. Helpless and disabled, he nevertheless continues to berate Hamm. He continually tries to relive the happiness of his previous life with Nell. A tough character, softened by his love for his wife. 45+ Will be aged up as he is in extreme old age.
NELL Wife to Nagg, and mother to Hamm, she is a gentle person, who is disabled like Nagg. More philosophical than Nagg, she supports him as they both longingly recall the happiness of their youth. Has a strong, loving relationship with Nagg. 45+ will be aged up as she is in extreme old age.
Crew
Production Assistant - Mark Bullock
Stage Manager - Jane Moorhead
Lighting Design - Gareth Barker
Set Design - Mark Bullock
Wardrobe - Val Williams
For more details, please contact Jeanette Hoile, Director
‘Dentity Crisis by Christopher Durang
Directed by Catherine Ellis
‘Dentity Crisis is an absurdist comedy about the convalescence of Jane, a young woman who has attempted suicide by slashing herself in the thighs. We see Jane struggle to distinguish reality and recognise identities. Or do we? Her Mother, Edith Fromage, brazen coquette and self-proclaimed inventor of cheese, conducts countless (and occasionally incestuous) affairs; her brother appears also to be her father and grandfather; and her psychiatrist, Mr Summers, adds to the confusion by swapping genders with his wife. Just who is having the crisis?
This play has five great roles: three female and two male. They cover a spectrum of ages and all are integral to the plot – there are no ‘minor’ roles.
Jane – twenty-something female. Throughout the play she is told that she is mentally ill and yet is the only character to acknowledge reality and the absurdist scenarios that continually occur. This actress must have a good sense of comic timing.
Edith – Playing age around 50, although this is flexible depending on other castings. She is Jane’s mother (and of the brother character). She requires a blasé style of comic delivery and must display mothering tendencies, but have a distinct flair for promiscuity.
Robert – Male, 20-30. Fantastic comic role. I’m looking for a good character actor with a strong physicality and vocal ability, which will be required to depict a range of characters. He plays the brother, father and grandfather and a French Count – sometimes all characters appear within one single line of dialogue.
Mr Summers – Male, playing age 40+. He is Jane’s psychiatrist. Again, this actor needs to be a good character actor as he plays the kindly psychiatrist as well as his wife when they swap genders.
Psychiatrist’s Wife – female, 30+. She perform Mr Summers’ character in a woman’s body. This actor must be a good mimic as the physicality of both versions of ‘Mr Summers’ must be identical in order for the characterisations to be clear.
"I can’t stand it. My Mother says she’s invented cheese and I start to think maybe she has. There’s a man living in the house and I’m not sure whether he’s my brother or my father or my grandfather. I can’t be sure of anything anymore.”
For more details, please contact Catherine Ellis, Director
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