The Ringgold Playhouse will hold auditions for its third production of the 2016 Season, Michael Frayn's “Noises Off,” on Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m., at the historic Ringgold Depot.
Fresh off the heels of the company’s first original work, “The Storm,” TRP now looks to switch gears from a mysterious drama to a classic comedy for its big summer production.
“We’re really excited about it,” said Adam Cook, TRP’s executive director. “We always try to do a big, fun show during the summer, and this show definitely fits that bill. It may be the funniest play I’ve ever seen or read.”
The story follows the hilarious struggles of a theatre company trying to open and perform the fictional farce “Nothing On,” and gives the audience a look at the company’s mishaps as the cast and crew continuously fight with each other both onstage and off. The play-within-a-play structure offers non-stop laughter that has delighted audiences since the early 1980's.
“You often hear people say ‘the book was better than the movie,’ well, that’s true in theatre most of the time as well,” said Mr. Cook. “The 1992 film adaptation of the play was pretty funny and had an all-star cast, but it really didn’t do the play justice….it's that funny. It’s a brilliant piece of comedy.”
The show has roles available for five men and four women.
Cast of characters:
LLOYD DALLAS (30’s – 60’s): The director of a play-within-the-play, called "Nothing On." Temperamental. Part of a love triangle involving Poppy and Brooke.
DOTTY OTLEY (40’s – 60’s): A late-middle-aged actress. Forgetful. Has a romantic interest in Garry, and provokes him by showing interest in Freddy.
GARRY LEJEUNE (20’s – 40’s): A stuttering actor, easily fired up. Has a romantic interest in Dotty, and is driven by jealousy to attack Freddy repeatedly. His speech impediment disappears onstage. Constantly stutters and ends sentences with “you know...”
BROOKE ASHTON (20’s – 30’s): A young inexperienced actress from London. She pays no attention to others, either in performance or backstage. She rarely takes direction, and persists in role regardless of any interruption. She is always losing her contact lenses.
FREDERICK "FREDDY" FELLOWES (20’s – 40’s): Has a serious fear of violence and blood. Gets nosebleeds easily. Lacks confidence and is rather dim-witted.
BELINDA BLAIR (20’s – 40’s): Cheerful and sensible, a reliable actress. Has a rather protective attitude towards Freddy. A bit of a gossip.
POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR (20’s –50’s): Assistant Stage Manager. Emotional and over-sensitive, and envious of Brooke, whom she understudies.
SELSDON MOWBRAY (50’s – 80’s): Elderly, seasoned actor mannerisms. Always seems to be MIA. If he is not in sight while rehearsing, the stage crew must find him before he finds the whiskey.
TIMOTHY ALLGOOD (20’s- 40’s): An over-worked stage manager. Understudies Selsdon and Freddy.
For more information about the play or TRP, email TheRinggoldPlayhouse@gmail.com., or call 227-9459. Auditions will be held at the historic Ringgold Depot located at 155 Depot St. in downtown Ringgold. Performance dates for the seven-show production will be June 16-18 and 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee June 25 at 2 p.m.