Agatha Christie's Akhnaton Auditions, Muizenberg

Men and women 13 - 65 Years old, Western Cape

AUDITION: Sun Nov 24 at 14.00 at the Masque Theatre, Main Road, Muizenberg

PERFORMANCES: Mar 13-21, 2019 at the Masque Theatre, Main Road, Muizenberg

Akhnaton is the only non-murder mystery play ever written by Agatha Christie. It is closer to a Shakespearean drama.

The play spans 16 years of the life of pharaoh Amenhotep IV (or Akhnaton/Akhenaten) who lived appro from 1360 to 1334 BC. Akhnaton is known to be the pharaoh who attempted to change Egyptian religious beliefs from pan-theism to monotheism, believing only in one God, Aten, the Sun God. This explains why he changes his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaton. In conjunction with his wife, queen Nefertiti, he defies the traditional stiff court rituals and goes as far as leaving Thebes, the capital to build a new capital (New Horizon in the play, Amarna in modern Egyptology). He surrounds himself with artists, sculptors, painters and poets and refuse to use war as a mean to international politics but advocates reason and diplomacy. By doing so he comes into conflict with two of the most influential classes in ancient Egyptian society: the clerics led by the high priest of Amon and the army, led by general Horemheb.

Having only daughters and no son, he is obliged to recognise his son-in-law, Tutankhaton, as his heir. In the meantime, unrest in brewing in Egypt, fanned by the declining revenues from taxes and war on the neighbouring countries and the prohibition of any cult of worship except to Aton. It leads to a conspiracy and his murder. His successor, Tutankhaton, immediately changes his name to Tutankhamon and reinstates pan-theism and the cult of Amon-Ra. This turns out too little too late as he is also murdered at the age of only 19 and replaced by Horemheb who then proceeds with demolishing Akhenaton’s new capital and wiping his and Tutankhamon’s name from Egyptian history.

Akhenaton is a complex personality who means well and strives to establish a world where peace, love and beauty are the highest values but is not politically astute enough to realise his dreams and slowly descends into his own reverie and utopia, alienating himself from his people even further, leading to his death. He is also not the expected athletic warrior but has tendency to corpulence and is very much in touch with his feminine side up to the point that it is suggested that he/they is/are the first document appearance of a non-binary person(s).

The play has some nice fleshy parts with complex characters to be portrayed, but also has a plethora of possible smaller and non-speaking parts, populating the stage with processions and gatherings of common people. THIS MEANS THAT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO BE ON STAGE IN THIS PRODUCTION WILL GET THE OPPORTUNITY AND A CALL IS MADE FOR ALL AGES AND RACES !

AS THE PLAY SPANS 16 YEARS, WE WILL NEED AT LEAST 5 TEENAGERS TO PROTRAIT YOUNG CHARACTERS IN THE FIRST SCENE(S)

NO ACCENTS ARE NEEDED.

MAIN PARTS:

AKHENATON (BOY): male teenager 15-19. Part is only in the first two scenes but the actor can be used as general chorus in later scenes

NEFERTITY (GIRL): female teenager 13-18. Part is only in the second scene but the actress can be used as general chorus in later scenes

HOREMHEB (BOY): male teenager 16-19. Part is only in the first two scenes but the actor can be used as general chorus in later scenes

NEZZEMUT (GIRL): female teenager 13-18. A small part only in the second scene but the actress can be used as general chorus in later scenes.

AKHENATON (ADULT): Main lead part. male 25-40. Complex character.

NEFERTITI (ADULT): female 25-40. Loves Akhenaton but sees him losing himself in his dreams and losing grip on reality. Tragic part.

HOREMHEB (ADULT): male 30-40. Important part. Loyal to Akhenaton since his youth but deeply disturbed by the opinions of his friend and pharaoh. Will ultimately choose to believe Akhenaton is mad and needs to be stopped to save Egypt.

QUEEN TYE: female 55+, medium part. Akhenaton’s mother. She lives throughout most of the play so will grow older. Always dressed in the ancient traditional fashion, keeps the old beliefs.

HIGH PRIEST: male 40+. Is ultimately banned from court but continues to fan opposition to Akhenaton.

ENVOY: male 20+, small part

AY: male 30+, priest, small part

NEZZEMUT (ADULT): female 25-40. Nefertiti’s sister. Scheming female who in secret keeps the old beliefs.

PARA: female any age. She is a sort of seer, sorcerer. Small part. Preferably non-Caucasian

BEK: male 25+. The architect building the new capital. Small part

PTAHMOSE: male 20+, young priest, small part

TUTANKHATON: male teenager 14+. Teenager boy who will be dragged into the conspiracy.

MEN, WOMEN, SERVANTS, ARTISTS, SOLDIERS

• Casting had ended