Wyong Drama Group | Tuesday, 17 January 2023

Auditions for Wyong Drama Group's next show - Ladies Day will be at the Red Tree Theatre Monday 30th & Tuesday 31st January with Wednesday 1st February for call backs. Auditions will start from 7pm.

Auditions will be by appointment only. Registering for auditions can be done or by emailing Kath Izzard at myquickletterbox@gmail.com or calling 0406 991 591. You will then be given an audition time.

The audition form must be completed and emailed to Kath before your audition.

Character Breakdown:

We are seeking four dedicated and reliable women, who are strong leads. Yorkshire accents are required for the Women.

The male roles in the show are smaller than the women's but play an important part in the success of the show. Yorkshire accents will be required for the roles of Joe, Fred, and Kevin. The role of Patrick will require an Irish accent. The role of Jim McCormack will require a BBC Newsreader accent.

Pearl, a fish packer, aged 55, her husband is Mick, to whom she has been married for 36 years. They tend to go out to the pub for a meal occasionally. She is about to retire from the factory. Pearl has an ulterior motive for going to the races.

Jan, a fish packer, aged in her mid-40s, is divorced with a late teen daughter Claire. She is somewhat prim and proper, and at one stage refers to herself as like Princess Di. She tends to prepare home cooked meals each night. As her daughter is studying literature at Uni, Jan tends to know a bit about literature herself. She is secretly in love with her boss Joe.

Shelley, a fish packer, aged in her mid-20s, is bold, brash and a bit of a smart aleck. She looks after her figure as evidenced by eating Trimfast for dinner. She really wanted to be a beautician but can't put in the effort to do the course. She smokes – Sobranie cocktail cigarettes. Her favourite band is “Blue” who had a hit with All Rise. Shelly's character must be comfortable wearing a skimpy cocktail outfit for the races.

Linda a fish packer, aged 24 is naïve and romantic in her attitudes. The ladies tend to mother her. She has never had a hobby, but her current crush is on Tony Christie, and she watches the soaps on telly. She was born on Charles & Di's wedding day, 29 July 1981.

Joe, their supervisor, aged 40-55 the supervisor at work, he is jovial and kind-hearted. He is planning on a trip to Australia for a year. He showed interest in Jan, but as she didn't respond to his advances, he decided to go away.

Jim McCormack, a TV pundit, aged 35 to 45 an expert on the races. He is flashy in his attire and confident of his charms with the ladies. He may have a secret drinking problem as he often takes a swig from his hip flask.

Patrick, an Irish jockey, aged 25 to 30 is small in stature. He says he weighs 8 stone 4 pounds. He is no longer interested in his career. He is being tempted to eat a sugar lump being offered by Linda. "It is important that this character can maintain a good Irish accent as he has 2 lengthy monologues"

​Barry, a bookie, aged mid 50's to 60 is a professional bookie who works the various courses around the counties. He turns out to be having a secret affair with one of the ladies. Barry's character doesn't come in till almost the end.

Fred, a ticket Tout, aged 30-35 – the ticket tout, is a bit down on his luck and desperate.

Kevin, a gambler and a drunk, aged 30-35 started his day at the races smartly dressed, but by the time we see him he is now dishevelled, drunk and somewhat out of control. He has a gambling problem, which he is hiding from his wife.

Note: The roles of Fred & Kevin will be played by the same actor.

Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when Linda finds tickets to Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot the year it relocated to York

Out go the hairnets, overalls and wellies as the four ditch work, do themselves up to the nines and head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter, and if their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot - and more besides..

Amanda Whittington is one of the most widely performed playwrights in the UK. Her plays include Be My Baby (Soho Theatre, 1998), Satin 'n' Steel (Nottingham Playhouse, 2005), Ladies' Day (Hull Truck, 2005) and its sequel Ladies Down Under (Hull Truck, 2007), The Thrill of Love (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, 2013) and Kiss Me Quickstep (New Vic Theatre, 2016). She has adapted Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, My Judy Garland Life and Tipping the Velvet for the stage. She writes regularly for BBC Radio 4, contributing to the Woman's Hour serial and Afternoon Play slots. Her stage plays have also become a popular choice for amateur, community and school productions across the country.

April Performances: Friday 21st- Sat 29th with matinees on Saturday 22nd 29th Sunday 23rd and Wednesday 26th.
Information Night on Monday 16th January 2023 at the Red Tree Theatre, starting at 7pm.

Wyong Drama Group is at Red Tree Theatre Fri, 21st to 29th April '23

Tap the link below for more information.