Loot
By Joe Orton
Directed by Claire Payton
Key Dates
Information evening: Friday 7th February 19:00 – 21:00
Audition date: Friday 21st February 19:00 – 22:00
Show Dates: Wednesday 21st – Saturday 24th May, 19:30 start
Rehearsal period: Rehearsals will be held approximately 3 evenings a week between 31st March and 20th May from 19:30 – 22:00 (the final 2 weeks will be most weekday evenings).
Synopsis
Loot is set in the front room of a devout Catholic household in 1960’s London. It is a riotous dark comedy that follows the escapades of two young thieves, Hal and Dennis. After pulling off a bank job next to the funeral home where Dennis works, they stash their loot in an unlikely spot: inside Hal’s mother’s coffin. But in this madcap misadventure, nothing stays where it’s put, especially not the dearly departed. As her body makes shocking appearances around the house, the duo spirals deeper into chaos, trying to keep their crime—and the cadaver—under wraps. With laugh-out-loud twists and endless surprises, Loot is a wild ride packed with dark humour and high-stakes hilarity that will leave audiences in stitches!
Information evening
I invite you to attend the information evening for Loot on Friday 7th February 2025 at 7pm. This is for anyone who is considering auditioning or getting involved in the construction or backstage elements of the show. I will be talking through my ideas for the play, what sort of characters I will be looking for and giving you an idea of my directing style, so you can see if you think this production might be of interest to you! My aim is also to introduce some of the creative team at this time too. We will be reading a couple of snippets from the script, but it will not be a full read through.
Character Descriptions
I would encourage anyone to audition for any role, but please note that the genders specified below will be the gender of the character you will be playing, and the age for each is the playing age, rather than age of auditionee, so please go for whatever suits your performance style.
Hal McCleavy: A thief, Dennis’ lover, physical role. Cockney accent. Male, early to mid 20’s.
Dennis: A thief, Hal’s lover, physical role. Cockney accent. Male, early to mid 20’s.
Inspector Truscott: A corrupt detective. Any accent (probably London/ Southern English). Male, over 40.
Fay: A nurse, each of her seven previous husbands have died under strange circumstances. Regional English/ Irish accents encouraged. Female, late 20’s to mid 30’s
Mrs. McCleavy: Recently deceased; a corpse (mother to Hal), Catholic, physical role. Female 60+
Mr. McCleavy: Father to Hal, devout Catholic, husband to the late Mrs McCleavy. London/ Southern England accents encouraged. Male 60+
Meadows: A police officer assisting Inspector Truscott. Any accents. Male 20’s-40’s
There will be some intimacy between Hal and Dennis, and Dennis and Fay. Anyone auditioning for the corpse of Mrs McCleavy will need to be unflappable and happy to be frequently lifted and moved about by other cast members.
Audition Process
Please arrive on Friday 21st February via the back gate (next to the red stage door) on Middle Wall at 7pm. You will be registered in the Lindley Bar upon arrival, so we know what you are auditioning for, and auditions will start at 7:15pm. Auditions will be held in the studio, in front of a panel which will include the director, assistant director and up to two other Lindleys. You will be called in to read for the part(s) you have selected with other auditionees reading other characters in the relative scenes. You may be asked to try things in different ways, and be paired with multiple people across the evening. Once all parts have been read for, the evening will end, no later than 10pm.
If you have any additional requirements or need assistance in order to attend the audition, please let the director know by email publicity@playhousewhitstable.co.uk, or tell her on the day.
If you are unable to attend on the day of the audition, please do get in touch beforehand and the director will try to see you before the 21st. There will be no additional first auditions after this date, so please get in touch as soon as you can to be seen prior to the audition date.
Audition Pieces (click on the title of each piece to download the audition script)
Pg 18- 22 Lock the door > gymnasium
Pg 24 – 28 Truscott entrance > be discourteous
Pg 29-31 It’s unusual > abstract nouns
Pg 32 – 35 I’d slave > your father
Pg40 – 42 I’m back again > rhumba
Pg 55 – 58 Now then I’m > end of act
Meadows audition pg 85-86: entrance > Kissed by the Pope
Mrs McLeavy audition: being moved as a dead body, looking at comfort and movement
Please email publicity@playhousewhitstable.co.uk and request a copy of the script. The director will arrange to either meet you or will leave a script under your name for you to collect from the Playhouse. Please ensure all scripts are brought back to the Playhouse on or before the info evening on Friday 7th February, thank you.