AUDITION NOTICE
Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Jersey Lily
By Katie Forgette
Director: Martin MacKenzie
Edmonds Driftwood Players is seeking actors for their upcoming production of Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Jersey Lily.
Audition Dates
Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 11:00 – 3:00 pm and Monday, April 15, 2019 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.
Audition Location
Edmonds Driftwood Players Administrative Office, 306 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020 (Lower level of the Bank of America).
What to Prepare
Headshot and resume required, and 1-minute contemporary monologue.
Callbacks (By invitation only)
Wednesday, April 17, 2019, time and location TBD.
Rehearsal Dates
April 28 – June 13, 2019. Rehearsal schedule will be finalized after casting and are generally held on Monday through Thursday evenings from 7:00 – 10:00 pm, as well as some Saturdays (times/dates TBD) for stage combat, choreography, etc. Actors cast in the show may not be called to every rehearsal.
Performance Dates
This production plays at The Wade James Theatre, home of Edmonds Driftwood Players, 950 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020 on Thursdays through Sundays (11 shows total) from June 14 – 30, 2019. Performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Performances and strike (immediately following closing performance) are mandatory.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The wit of Oscar Wilde meets the cunning of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when Wilde brings his dear friend, Lillie Langtry, to Baker Street. Someone has stolen the highly intimate letters Lillie exchanged with the Prince of Wales, and now she is being blackmailed. Only Holmes can solve the case, going so far as to disguise himself as an early version of Lady Bracknell from Wilde’s latest play, The Importance of Being Forthright, while Watson falls head-over-heels for the Jersey Lily and a wicked professor attempts to bring the Crown to its knees.
SEEKING THE FOLLOWING ROLES
We will be casting eight actors for this play: six males, and two females. All will speak with British/Irish/Scottish dialects. Most actors play multiple characters, so they will need multiple dialects.
Sherlock Holmes: Early to mid-40s, in very good physical shape, charming, very self-assured, dedicated and loyal to his friends; honesty and integrity are what drive him; very serious about good and about evil. Upper-class/educated British dialect. Stage combat/fencing experience preferred. Uses an alternate dialect.
Dr. Watson: 40s to 50s, any body type, intelligent but not very observant, slightly bumbling, easily befuddled; looks on all others as his superiors, and is very loyal to Sherlock Holmes. Upper-class/educated British dialect.
Oscar Wilde: Mid-30s to mid-40s, well-established playwright and poet by this time; taller in stature but starting to go a little plump, big broad personality, witty, self-indulgent. Our playwright, Katie Forgette, states, “The character of Oscar Wilde is not to be played as inferior to Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Wilde possesses an incandescent wit and a massive intellect. He simply recognizes a good line when he hears one.” Speaks with an upper-class/educated Irish dialect.
Professor Moriarty: Our villain, early to mid-40s, in very good physical shape; a contemporary of Sherlock Holmes, but his antithesis; evil incarnate, loyal only to himself and to his schemes, extremely deceitful but surprisingly honest and forthright in keeping his word. Upper-class/educated British dialect. Stage combat/fencing experience preferred. Uses an alternate dialect.
John Smythe: Early 20s, not well educated, easily swayed and influenced, poor background with no positive role-models, a member of Moriarty’s crew; the payoff is what leads him but he doesn’t recognize or understand the evil; one of those “gang members” we wish we could be sorry for. Speaks with a working-class/ uneducated British dialect. Uses an alternate dialect.
Abdul Karim: Mid-30s to mid-50s, East Indian/Middle Eastern attendant and confidante to her Majesty Queen Victoria, official; erect in posture and in personality, highly educated and worldly. Speaks with a British-educated Middle Eastern dialect. This is a smaller role, but he is very integral to the outcome of our story.
Mrs. Lillie Langtry: Early to mid-40s, tall, statuesque, beautiful, but absolutely not arrogant or pretentious, she is truly a gentlewoman; Oscar Wilde’s leading lady, she is physically graceful, and gracious to all, proud of her accomplishments but humble because of her underprivileged roots. She is our heroine. She can be deceitful and lie, but only to protect the innocent … not herself. She speaks with a cultured British dialect. Also uses an alternate (Cockney?) dialect.
Mrs. Irma Tory/Mrs. McGlynn/Kitty Dupree: One actress plays these three characters. Actually, Kitty Dupree plays the other two characters. She is early to mid-40s, one of Moriarty’s crew; evil, deceitful, and cunning. She disguises herself as Mrs. Irma Tory, Lillie Langtry’s trusted housekeeper and backstage dresser, setting herself up as the “inside” person. She also disguises herself as Mrs. McGlynn, Sherlock Holmes’ ancient, feeble, hard-of-hearing, temporary, housekeeper. Uses multiple dialects.
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