Beryl Cook Project - Sailors and Sweethearts

    

Auditions will take place on Tuesday 18th, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th September 2012. The production will take place in March 2013.

About the piece

This landmark community project is inspired by the paintings of Beryl Cook, Plymouth's most famous and influential contemporary artist. The play will be a true ensemble production of approximately 90 minutes in length with the main thrust of story and plot drawn from research and local stories.

Since the project launch this spring, residents' true stories of city and night life in Plymouth have been being gathered via our research team, our website and practical drama workshops. This wealth of material about the real Plymouth will feed in to an original play, written by Nick Stimson.

The production will see the theatre transformed into a Plymouth bar where all the action will happen.  The characters will tell a series of stories which, when put together, make up the greater story - the story of Beryl Cook's Plymouth. There will be physical reference to Beryl Cook's paintings. The play will be passionate and dramatic, loud and tender and will use a mixture of dialogue and monologue, movement and song. Like Beryl Cook's paintings the aim is to make a piece of theatre about a night out in Plymouth that no one will ever forget!

How to Apply

If you're interested in being a part in Sailors and Sweethearts, please fill in and post or fax back the relevant side of the form below or call 01752 230 379 for more information.

Please be sure to return your application form by 9am on Thursday 13th September if you would like to audition on Tuesday 18th September. For all other audition slots or for backstage applications, please return this form by 24th September:

Click here to become a People's Company member
 

About the Writer and Director

Nick Stimson is a freelance playwright, theatre director and poet. Nick was instrumental to the founding of the People's Company; he is an associate director of The Theatre Royal Plymouth and continues to work across our Creative Learning programme.

Nick began his professional career as a director at The Young Vic, London . More recently he was the Artistic Director of The National Student Drama Festival. He has directed, lectured and led workshops in schools, colleges, universities, festivals and theatres throughout the UK and abroad. He has also written and directed for television and radio and is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation.

Recent productions written and/or directed include 'A Winter's Tale' for The Sage, Gateshead; 'NHS The Musical' (with music by Jimmy Jewell) for the Theatre Royal, Plymouth and The Venue, Leicester Square, London. Current projects include: 'Midas' at the St. James Theatre, London; 'Cornish Phoenix' for Sterts Theatre, Cornwall; '; 'Peter Pan' at the Lyric Theatre, London; 'A Winter's Tale' at the Landor Theatre, London; 'Promised Land' (co-written with Anthony Clavane) for Red Ladder Theatre Company at The Carriageworks, Leeds.
 

The Company

We always aim to ensure involvement in People's Company productions is enjoyable and rewarding. Although we don't require previous experience or for you to be an accomplished actor, we do ask that all company members are prepared to give commitment and enthusiasm to the process. This will be a challenging production requiring hard work across all rehearsals. Cast and A/DSMs must be available for the vast majority of the rehearsal schedule (see attached).

Cast and Auditions

Auditions will take the form of 90 minute group workshop followed by individual interviews. There is no need to prepare anything in advance. Each workshop will encourage participants to try their hand at working with script, creating scenes through improvisation, creating character as well as movement and song.  The workshops are intended to be an enjoyable experience that will give some flavour of the future rehearsal techniques. It will not be an ordeal but it should be a fun and active audition session so you will need to wear comfortable clothing, suitable for practical work. 

We will be looking to cast a company of up to thirty performers with a wide range of abilities, experience and interests.  Confirmation of roles will take place after the first couple of rehearsals, to give us chance to see how the company works together. If you feel you'll find it difficult to commit to taking a part without knowing which role you are being asked to play, please ensure you discuss this with us at the auditions.

ASM / DSM

We'll be looking for two Assistant or Deputy Stage Managers to be involved in supporting rehearsals and the production process. These roles will be of real value, working with our professional Stage Manager, so we're keen to find candidates who are patient, hard working and have an interest in learning more about what goes on backstage. 

Rehearsal Schedule

Please find Rehearsal Schedule below. This schedule is provisional and may be subject to change; however it is a good indication of the time and commitment required.