A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Lucie Nash and Claire Payton
Key Dates
Readthrough/Information Evening: Sunday 30th June 6-8pm
Auditions: Sunday 7th July 6-8:30pm
Show Dates: Wednesday 12th -14th December 2024, 7:30pm (including a 2:30pm show on 14th), get out/after party on the 15th
If you are interested in auditioning, please get in touch with Lucie on youthgroup@playhousewhitstable.co.uk
Synopsis
When the vastly wealthy but perpetually penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge refuses to acknowledge the importance of Christmas, he is awoken on Christmas Eve and taken on a journey of self-discovery by Ghostly figures who try to make him see the errors of his ways.
This well-loved story of redemption by Charles Dickens has been beautifully adapted for the stage by Mark Gatiss. Prepare to be spooked and delighted in equal measure as you enter the supernatural Victorian world of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story.
Characters:
We advise watching any adaptations you wish in preparation, and yes we are fans of The Muppet Christmas Carol! Our particular script is currently on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gmwp/a-christmas-carol-a-ghost-story
The play involves a very large ensemble of colourful characters, so almost everyone should expect to play multiple characters, and participate in group scenes. Therefore the auditions will involve group work, script work and character work, and you will only need to prepare something if you wish to go for one of the following characters:
We are open to any gender playing any role, but the character’s gender will remain as below (i.e. a female/non-binary person could play Scrooge, but would be playing him as male).
Scrooge (M) – A miserly, old, grumpy man who learns the error of his ways. Has to show a full range of emotions, as his journey of redemption is the entire plot! Obviously on stage a lot with the most lines in the show. Preferably an older teenager (16-18), or one who can portray an adult.
Audition pieces:
Pages 13-14 ‘you’ll deliver those letters by hand’ to ‘thirteen shillings a week?’
Pages 80-83 “before I draw nearer’ to ‘of course they can’
Marley (M) – A fantastic part with not many lines but a lot of scenes. We see Marley alive (with a similar personality to Scrooge) and also as a resentful, bitter ghost who desperately tries to warn Scrooge to change his ways. Preferably an older teenager (16-18), or one who can portray an adult.
Audition piece:
Pages 31-32 ‘man of the worldly mind’ to ‘look to see me no more’
Fred (M) – Scrooge’s nephew. A friendly, charismatic, confident young man, who is also a little cheeky. The polar opposite to his uncle.
Audition piece:
Pages 17-19 ‘a Merry Christmas uncle’ to ‘and a Happy New Year!’
Bob Cratchit (M) – Scrooge’s employee. A kind, gentle and compassionate young man with a young family. Experiences tragedy and tries to keep his chin up.
Audition piece:
Pages 78-79 ‘hello my dears’ to ‘my little child’
The Ghost of Christmas Past (Gender not important) – the first spirit who takes Scrooge on a journey through his past. This ghost is just described as ‘ethereal, other-worldly’ so we are open to interpretations – we’d be excited to see people’s take on this.
Audition piece:
Pages 35-36 ‘I am the ghost of Christmas past’ to ‘upheld in more than this’
The Ghost of Christmas Present (Gender not important) – the second spirit who takes Scrooge through various situations happening at the time. A big personality, optimistic, cheerful and charismatic, this spirit should be ‘larger than life’. They do have darker moments in the script as they age and deteriorate very quickly, both physically and vocally. Again, we are open to interpretation!
Audition pieces:
Pages 66-67 ‘my life upon this globe is very brief’ to ‘ARE THERE NO WORKHOUSES?’
Pages 52-53 ‘you have never seen the likes of me before’ to ‘touch my robe’
Readthrough/Information Evening – Sunday 30th June 6-8pm
We will play a few games and talk about our vision for the show, and then read some of the play together, so you can get a feel of the script. A relaxed evening designed to help you decide if you would like to audition! Entrance to the theatre is via the back gate, at the Middle Wall end of Kemp Alley, opposite the United Reformed Church. Go through the door at the bottom of the slope and turn right to go into the bar area.
Audition Evening – Sunday 7th July 6-8:30pm
The auditions will involve group work, script work and character work, and you will only need to prepare something if you wish to go for one of the characters listed above. For those characters, we’ll release audition pieces (script extracts) nearer the time. Entrance to the theatre is via the back gate, at the Middle Wall end of Kemp Alley, opposite the United Reformed Church. Go through the door at the bottom of the slope and turn right to go into the bar area.
We advise parents do not stay for either the readthrough or the audition, so your child can relax. However, if you wish to stay please let us know.
Audition Extracts
TBC
Rehearsals
We will be rehearsing on Sunday evenings from 1st September, then Tuesdays starting 19th November. The final week of rehearsals will be 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th and 11th December, all of which will be very important to attend. Rehearsals will be 6-8:30pm, until the last week when they will be 6-9pm. During show week the show begins at 7:30pm (you will need to be at the theatre for make up and costume at 6:30pm) so our final 2 rehearsals will be 7-10pm and after each show you should expect to finish by 10pm.
Youth Group FAQ
- The youth group is led by volunteers – please bear this in mind during communications – and we stick to a cast size with which we feel comfortable. If you/your child is not successful this time please do not take it personally, and you may, of course, join the mailing list.
- All youth group leaders have been DBS checked and hold chaperone licences from Kent County Council.
- Successful auditionees will be required to pay the £5 membership to the Lindley Players, and will have a place in the youth group outside of play rehearsals (should you wish to have one!).
- All cast members must be 13-18 years old (inclusively) at the time of performance.
Any questions, feel free to get in touch. Thank you!
Lucie and Claire