SHOW DATES OCT 9TH - OCT 25TH
FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS AT 7:30 PM AND SUNDAYS AT 3:00 PM
AUDITION DATES
Friday, July 17th
AUDITIONS WILL BE FROM 6:00 PM TO 10:00 PM
DIRECTED BY
Mark A. Stutz
WRITTEN BY
AGATHA CHRISTIE
Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.
SYNOPSIS
ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY
KEN LUDWIG
AUDITION INFORMATION
AUDITION TIME
Auditions will take place on Friday, July 17th from 6:00 PM to 10 PM. Callbacks are invitation only, taking place on Sunday, July 19th from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
SELF-TAPE AUDITIONS
If you are unable to come to the audition on July 17th, please record yourself performing one of the monologues below. Submissions are due no later than Friday, July 17th at 6pm so our creative team is able to view your tape in a timely manner. All auditioning with video submissions must be able to be at callbacks in person on July 19th.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Performances will be October 9th to October 25th. Performances will take place from Friday to Sunday during this time. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM.
TECH REHEARSAL
Tech rehearsal will take place from October 4th to October 8th. Please note that tech rehearsal is mandatory for all actors.
AUDITION PREPARATION
MONOLOGUE AUDITION
All monologue auditions will be held one person at a time. Monologue options can be found on the audition page. This does not need to be memorized for your audition. If you'd like to try an accent, please feel free, but it is not required. If you would like to audition for multiple roles, please limit your audition to two monologues total.
Note: for some characters, multiple monologues are featured as options. Please only choose ONE of the available monologues per character.
CALLBACKS
Callbacks will be held by invitation only on Sunday, July 19th from 6:00-9:00pm.
If you do not receive a callback, please know this does not mean you are not cast. It simply means we needed to have a second look at certain actors, some together, in order to be able to properly make final decisions with specific castings.
If you are invited to callbacks you will be sent the necessary materials via email. These will include additional sides to be read from the script with other actors.
CONFLICTS
All actors should have their conflicts listed at time of auditions. There is space on the form for this.
MORE QUESTIONS?
Please email all questions regarding auditions to production@paplayhouse.org
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Iconic character. Agatha Christie’s most famous detective. Poirot is fastidious, thorough, a touch ridiculous, and incredibly observant and intelligent. He is both arrogant and humble to fault. He is an observer of people, astute at analyzing why people behave as they do, and firmly believes that most crimes can be solved primarily by observation, psychology, and thinking them through. He values intelligence and the rule of law above all else.
Male presenting, 40-65, Belgian accent, any ethnicity
HERCULE POIROT
The owner of Wagon Lit, Orient Express. Bouc is a middle-aged man with a youthful vigor and attitude. Gregarious, honest and forthright, he puts his friends and customers above profit, although he is concerned about his company's image. He is not a match for Poirot in intelligence, however.
Male presenting, 40-65, Belgian accent, any ethnicity
MONSIEUR BOUC
A governess. Anxious, but also cool and determined, Mary has a certain sadness about her, as well a many secrets. She is carrying on a secret affair with Colonel Arburthnot. Must be comfortable kissing on stage.
Female presenting, mid 20s-30s, English (standard) accent, any ethnicity.
MARY DEBENHAM
A military man of the old fashioned type, possibly old-money, and used to being obeyed without question. He is strong, charismatic, but also problematic in some of his personal views. Has a temper. Must be comfortable kissing on stage.
Male presenting, 30s, Scottish accent, any ethnicity
COLONEL ARBUTHNOT
Personal assistant and secretary to Sauel Ratchett, McQueen is a nervous character with a stutter that appears when he is especially anxious. Seems rather new to his profession. Talks a bit too much.
Male presenting, 23-35, American accent (any), any ethnicity
HECTOR MCQUEEN
Competent and organized, Michel is the conductor for the first class carriages of the Orient Express. Handles himself well in a crisis, and is very good at his job. NOTE: This actor will double as the Head Waiter of the Tokatilian Hotel, and will also need to be able to do a Turkish accent.
Male presenting, 40s, French accent, any ethnicity
MICHEL
Displaced Russian nobility. The Princess is a battleship: determined, arrogant, and accustomed to getting her way. She travels a great deal, and holds very decided opinions.
Female presenting, 60s-70s, Russian accent, any ethnicity
PRINCESS DRAGOMIROFF
A Catholic missionary and baby nurse, currently serving as a companion to Princess Dragomiroff. She would like to help small children in Africa. Deeply devout. This character may be funny, but should not be played as a caricature for laughs. *Note: As written, the character is Swedish with somewhat broken English, but we will also consider actresses who have accents other than English or Swedish (Spanish, Italian, etc.).
Female presenting, 30s, Swedish* accent, any ethnicity, ESL actresses welcome.
GRETA OHLSSON
In addition to being married to a count (and thus, nobility), she is also a doctor. Beautiful, educated, charming, and intelligent enough to match wits with Poirot. Must also be able to do an American accent.
Female presenting, 25-35, Hungarian accent, any ethnicity
COUNTESS ANDRENYI
Not exactly what she seems, Hubbard comes across as a gregarious, loud, obnoxious American busybody who has been married multiple times. Must be able to sing and do a little dancing. Should also be able to pull off a cooler, more calculated version of this character with a very standard or even cultured American accent.
Female presenting, 45-60, American accent (any, possibly Wisconsin?), any ethnicity
HELEN HUBBARD
A dangerous and unlikable man, full of entitlement, with a hair trigger temper. Must have a forceful personality, and come across as someone not to be trusted or crossed. As the murder victim, this actor may be required to remain on stage and still for an extended period of time. Efforts will be made to ensure comfort
Male presenting, 35-50, American accent (mobster - possibly Brooklyn or Chicago style)
SAMUEL RATCHETT
DIRECTOR
Mark A. Stutz
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Meg Pierre
STAGE MANAGER
Corinne Philbin
COSTUME DESIGNER
Todd Burkel
SOUND DESIGNER
Amanda Haag
INTIMACY COORDINATOR
TBD
SET & LIGHTING DESIGNER
Brett Oliveira
INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
Become a part of the Playhouse. Here at Pennsylvania Playhouse, we rely on the community to do what we do. Each year we run six shows, three plays, and three musicals. We welcome anyone regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identification, age, socio-economic status, national origin, sexual orientation, or ability.
INCLUSIÓN Y DIVERSIDAD
Conviértete en parte de Playhouse. Aquí en Pennsylvania Playhouse, confiamos en la comunidad para hacer lo que hacemos. Cada año presentamos seis espectáculos, tres obras de teatro y tres musicales. Damos la bienvenida a cualquier persona independientemente de su raza, color, religión, género, identificación de género, edad, nivel socioeconómico, origen nacional, orientación sexual o capacidad.
