Dear ATC Members,
I’m writing to invite actors (and non-actors) to audition for ‘The Poached Café’, a new work featured in this year’s Bareboards line-up.
About the PlayThe Poached Café is a drama set in an undisclosed modern regional town. The plot comes to a head when a stranger enters the town and is mistaken for violent criminal. Focusing on one woman’s moral struggle as she battles against her own humanity and the shared wishes of the community, the play eloquently handles themes of community politics, deviance, popular culture, murder, morality, and social isolation.
The piece will be of interest to actors wanting to explore tragedy and drama within a small, one act play. It’s an emotionally driven play that has a social message at its heart about the misrepresentation of strangers – a powerful message given our current social condition. I hope it will be a rewarding and fun experience to tackle some interesting themes in a well-written, contemporary play.
The RolesEttie is the owner of the titular café and finds herself at epicentre of the town’s moral crisis, involving the stranger, Eric. Battling her own morality against the shared wishes of the town, Ettie is the human heart of the story, representing struggles we all face when we find ourselves at odds with the majority. Ettie is maternal and hearty, just looking to run her business, but takes up a good cause when one finds her.
Sharon is a bit of a social sheep, although she is quite vocal about her opinions. As Ettie struggles over her moral decisions, Sharon attempts to wrangle her into the town’s schemes, often portraying the “what about the children” mentality to justify her actions. She is morally righteous, self-confident, and does not reflect upon her opinions or the consequences they might have on people.
Eric is a social outsider and catalyst for the play’s conflict. He is seeking to settle down in a quiet town, looking forward to forgetting about his past in order to build a better future for himself. A bit socially awkward, Eric is merely looking for authentic human interaction with other people, particularly as the town turn against him. Although he eventually finds it in a cup of coffee, tragedy soon follows.
AuditionsAuditions will be held this week at Waterloo and Cronulla, as I’m unable to make it to the Tuesday auditions at ATC. If you’re interested in coming along to the Waterloo auditions, please contact me 0405 220 298 or email
ja_mcarthur@hotmail.com for more information.
6:30pm-7:30pm, Tuesday, 31st July at Waterloo
6:30pm-7:30pm, Wednesday, 1st August at Waterloo
7:30pm-9:30pm, Thursday, 2nd July at Arts Theatre Cronulla
Unable to Make itPlease don’t hesitate to contact me to see if we can work something out if you’re unable to make the scheduled audition schedules.
More InformationIf you’re interested to learn more about the play, the available roles or audition pieces, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0405 220 298 or email: ja_mcarthur@hotmail.com. I recommend reading the play and audition piece before attending the audition.
Regards,
Jordan McArthur
0405 220 298
ja_mcarthur@hotmail.com
