Audition: Agatha Christie's - The Hollow

Men and women 18 - 100 Years old, Western Cape

A classic ‘whodunnit’ with a cast of 12, ideal for a fun night out at the theatre

Great opportunity for those looking to extend their acting skills!

Audition Date: Sunday7th July 2019 at 5 PM – 7 PM

Venue:Playhouse Theatre Somerset West, Corner Lourensford Road & Swalle Road, 7130 Somerset West, Western Cape

Character Précis

The Hollow, directed by The Tall Ladies (Gretel Schulze-le Roux and Gillian Jones)

Setting: The Hollow, a large and quite grand country house in South Africa. All characters can speak with neutral South African accents, or British accents.

Men

Sir Henry Angkatell – retired diplomat, married to Lucy Angkatell (his distant cousin). Welcomes all to their home, The Hollow. Henry is a pleasant, quiet and calm presence at The Hollow.

Edward Angkatell – distant cousin of Henry and Lucy, has inherited Lucy’s beloved childhood home. Edward is an apologetic, rather wet character who has been hopelessly and silently in love with Henrietta since childhood.

John Christow – extremely successful surgeon with a thriving practice. Charismatic and handsome, self-absorbed and selfish. John has been having an affair with Henrietta for years.

Gudgeon – the butler at The Hollow, dedicated to both Henry and Lucy.

Detective Sergeant Penny – Inspector Grange’s right-hand-person

Women

Inspector Grange – called in to investigate the murder at The Hollow, an intelligent and painstaking officer.

Lucy Angkatell – grande dame and centre of the Angkatell family, eccentric and charismatic but could be intimidating to outsiders.

Henrietta Savernake – sculptor and cousin of the Angkatells, endearing but strong, considers everyone’s feelings, but this sometimes conflicts with the core of her being, her art. Long-term lover of John Christow.

Midge Harvey – youngest cousin of the Angkatells, though only distantly related. The only Angkatell relation who has to earn a living, in a clothes shop. Sweet but independent.

Gerda Christow – John’s wife, rather plain and conservative, Gerda has devoted her life to her husband and children.

Veronica Cray – stunning, but abnormally egotistical, a Hollywood actress come back to South Africa on a visit

Doris – part time cleaner at The Hollow, likes a bit of a gossip.

Please contact the Production Team below to book an audition slot.

Performance dates:

- Press night 9th October

- 10th – 13th October

- 17th – 20th October

This classic Agatha Christie whodunnit was adapted for the stage by the Queen of Crime herself from her own Poirot novel. Having written out the Belgian detective, feeling that he would overwhelm the production, the result is a true ensemble piece, ideal for staging at the lively and community-centred Playhouse Theatre in Somerset West. Casting auditions will take place at the Playhouse on Sunday 7th July.

Audiences will be entertained and surprised by the twists and turns of the script and meet a cast of twelve eccentric and engaging characters. An ideal night out for all those who love a good murder.

“Dame Agatha Christie is no doubt literature’s most prolific detective story writer and the Playhouse is delighted to be staging one of her plays this year. A murder mystery is not only fun for the cast and crew but audiences are held on the edge of their seats.” Darryl Spijkers, Chairman of the Playhouse Theatre.

Characters are 4 or 5 men, 7 or 8 women

Directed by the Tall Ladies, Gretel Schulze-le Roux and Gillian Jones, the piece will be ensemble focused with plenty of character workshopping and development. The Tall Ladies’ background and experience in theatre. The Hollow is to be staged in South Africa in the near present day and provides an opportunity for those interested in stretching themselves as actors within a supportive and fun environment.

Gretel Schulze-le Roux bio: From a young age Gretel majored in Drama, English and Teaching at Stellenbosch University and the University of Sunderland before teaching in Taiwan, Zambia and Nigeria. She has been a member of the Playhouse family for 3 years; performing in various roles in Cinderella, Diary of Anne Frank and Shrek; for which she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Pinocchio. More recently she directed the successful

Hansel and Gretel which played to sold out audiences. She currently shares her passion for music and performance as a Performing Arts teacher .

Gillian Jones bio: Gillian has been a resident and Playhouse attendee for several years, but this is her first involvement in a production at the theatre. With a background in both performance and direction, in Edinburgh at the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as large scale productions in Lagos, Nigeria, Gillian is excited to be back in the theatre and looking forward to creating an enjoyable and engaging production for both audience and cast.

• Casting had ended