The Recruiting Officer - Auditions

There are 27 characters in total, and a ‘mob’ besides, so we are keen to involve anyone who wants to come along to play. The key characters are listed below and we are very happy for hearing women read male roles (especially, but not limited to, Bullock, Brazen and Balance) and any man who would like to read for Rose would also be welcome...

For information about the auditions contact enquiry@teddingtontheatreclub.org.uk

On a serious note .......

Lines must be learnt by the beginning of rehearsals  - so you have just under two months!

And you must be available for the following rehearsal schedule:

Saturday 18th September             10.00 am – 6.00 pm

Sunday 19th September                 10.00 am – 6.00 pm

Monday 20th September                7.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Tuesday 21st September                7.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Wednesday 22nd September      7.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Thursday 23rd September            7.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Friday 24th September                   4.00 pm – 11.00 pm

Saturday 25th September             10.00 am – 4.00 pm

Performances:

Saturday 25th September     7.45 pm

Sunday 26th September       4.00 pm

The Characters

Plume

• Male
• Playing Age - 30 - 45
• The officer of the title, in love with Sylvia, but also in Shropshire drumming up recruits with his loyal Sergeant Kite.
• A bit of a rake, fun, impulsive,, witty, charismatic and deep down a decent chap

Sylvia

• Female
• Playing Age - 25 - 40
• The daughter of Balance, the local justice so a woman of status and wealth, in love with Plume, the cousin of Melinda. She spends half of the play in breeches playing Jack Wilful to test Plume’s love.
• Witty, bright, principled, intelligent, inventive, impulsive.

Worthy

• Male
• Playing Age: 25 - 45
• A local gentleman, in love with the newly wealthy Melinda who he now courts for his wife (having previously wanted her for a mistress due to her lowly status), a friend of Plume.
• Previously happy go lucky now a little melancholy, nervous, in love, a touch ‘tortured’, easily persuaded, led and influenced but also caring and empathic

Melinda

• Female
• Playing Age 25 - 35
• The cousin of Sylvia and recently has come into great wealth which has also gone to her head a touch...
• Witty, intelligent, proud, a little haughty, adjusting to her new wealth, argumentative, mischievous

Brazen

• Male
• Playing Age - 35 - 50
• A second recruiting officer who arrives in Shrewsbury, he believes himself to be a great raconteur, traveller and lover
• Pompous, Huge energy, touch of camp, Big personality, lover of words, lover of himself

Kite

• Male
• Playing Age - 30 - 55
• Captain Plume’s streetwise Sergeant who does the dirty work drumming up the recruits with means foul, fair and fun.
• Quick witted, driven, scheming and creative

Balance

• Male
• Playing Age - 45 - 70
• The local justice, Sylvia’s father and Melinda’s uncle - a high status individual in the town.
• A little pompous, enjoys reliving his youth vicariously through Plume, but fundamentally decent.

Lucy

• Female
• Playing Age 20 - 35
• Melinda’s maid and with strong desires of her own to find a match.
• Conniving, cheeky, intelligent, strong-willed, ambitious

Rose

• Female
• Playing Age - 18 - 30
• A local country girl who sells chickens and who attracts the attentions of both Plume and Jack Wilful (Sylvia in disguise)
• A little Naive in matters of the heart, but not in those of commerce, a big personality and, like Lucy, also ambitious for a good marriage match

Bullock

• Male
• Playing Age - 20 - 30
• Rose’s brother,  a farmhand who sells corn in the market,
• Big, slow, fairly stock comic country bumpkin, iinnocent and decent

Appletree and Pearmain

• Male
• Playing Age - 20 - 35
• Two locals recruited into the Grenadiers by Kite.
• Again, fairly standard country bumpkin characters but also a lot of fun.

Others

Constables, Other Justices, Servants, Wives, Butchers, Smiths and Mob to be cast from the company.