Electric Rosary by Tim Foley
Directed by Cheryl Marksford
Production Assistant – Trace Parvin
Key Dates
Information Evening: Monday 3rd November 7:30pm
Auditions: Thursday 13th November 7:30pm start
Show Dates: Wednesday 25th -28th March 2026. (Get Out on the 29th).
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.
Contact
If you are interested in auditioning, please get in touch with one of us! Scripts available from Trace Parvin (07917 855700) or ask me any questions Cheryl Marksford (07739985264).
Synopsis
Electric Rosary by Tim Foley is a sharp, darkly funny play that explores the intersection of faith and technology. Set in the crumbling St Grace’s Convent, the story follows a weary group of nuns whose lives are upended by the arrival of Mary—a council-funded robot postulant. As Easter approaches, tensions rise between tradition and innovation, belief and artificial intelligence. Foley’s play probes what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world, blending satire with spiritual inquiry. Winner of the Bruntwood Prize Judges’ Award, Electric Rosary premiered at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre in 2022.
Character Descriptions:
I am purposely being vague about the ages of the characters, though it is important that Sister Elizabeth is the oldest and Sister Theresa the youngest. For me it is important to cast the right women rather than stipulate an exact age. The child can be played by any gender but it is important that they are physically lythe rather than robust. Sister Mary needs to be physically capable of being robotic and sentient within the piece so it will be a physically as well as mentally demanding role. There is not any sexual intimacy within this play. It goes without saying that the parts are all of a generous size and should be very rewarding for performers.
Sister Mary: A robot, brought in to serve the nuns, whose initial robotic demeanour evolves as she experiences human emotions and interactions.
Sister Elizabeth: The acting mother of the convent, portrayed as fussy and controlling, with an ambitious streak.
Sister Constance: An ill nun struggling with a crisis of faith and a deep-seated scepticism about belief and mercy.
Sister Theresa: A young, ingenuous postulant, representing innocence and a fresh perspective.
Sister Philippa: A nun with a complex character, driven by a compulsive need for faith and duty to manage her troubled mind
Child: A martyr? A radical? A stream of consciousness? Or all 3? A character with knowledge and depth but also lead by the wider world.
Information Evening:
7:30pm.
A summary of the vision for the production will be given and any questions can be answered. We will not be reading the whole play through, but we will go through the plot of the play and intersperse this with a few read scenes, so everyone can get a sense of the style of the play, pick up on the humour and get a feel for the characters.
Audition Evening:
7:30pm start.
The auditions will be held in the bar (can be accessed by the back entrance of the Theatre) and the Lindley Room. It will be a closed audition. The audition process will involve you acting out the audition pieces for the characters you are going for. I will get to read at least once for each character you wish to audition for. I may ask you to read a character you aren’t auditioning for – humour me as I’ll have my reasons! You may have to read the same scene more than once while combinations of people are looked at together. Please feel free to familiarise yourself with the audition pieces but don’t pressurise yourself to learn it.
Audition Extracts:
These will be available at the information evening. If you can’t attend but still want to audition, the audition pieces won’t be made available until the information evening has taken place.
Rehearsals
We will be rehearsing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from February 2nd starting at either 7pm or 7:30 decided once cast. A rehearsal schedule will be drawn up so that no one is called to a rehearsal unnecessarily, However from March expect to be needed at all of them. We will also schedule in a mutual date between casting and before rehearsals begin as there is a little bit of filming that needs to take place for the production which we can only do in the time slots when the stage is free of set.
Any questions, feel free to get in touch with one of us. Thank you!
Cheryl