Synopsis:

Marlene has been promoted to managing director of a London employment agency and is celebrating. The symbolic luncheon is attended by women in legend or history who offer perspectives on maternity and ambition. In a time warp, these ladies are also her co-workers, clients, and relatives.

Marlene, like her famous guests, has had to pay a price to ascend from proletarian roots to the executive suite: she has become, figuratively speaking, a male oppressor and even coaches female clients on adopting odious male traits. Marlene has also abandoned her illegitimate and dull witted daughter. Her emotional and sexual life has become as barren as Lady Macbeth’s.

Audition requirements

Please prepare a 2-3 minute contemporary monologue (ideally by a female/ femme playwright) that you believe fits in thematically with the play (prompt; class, gender, family). You don’t need to be ‘offbook’ the director is mainly interested in characterisation, voice/accent work and the way you engage with text. Applicants have the option to provide a self tape or come for an audition in person (In person auditions may book out fast)

Characters Summary

Track 1:

Marlene (30’s/40’s); femme identifying, any ethnicity

A product of neoliberal, corporate culture. Having shed her working class origins, including Angie, the result of a teenage pregnancy, she climbed the corporate ladder to become Business Director of Top Girls employment agency. She’s a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher.

Track 2:

Angie (teenager) femme identifying, any ethnicity

Waitress; The waitress in Act 1. Unspeaking but a stark presence, the indication will be that the waitress is Angie.  

Track 3:

Lady Nijo (Any age); 13th century Japanese concubine to the Emperor who later became a Buddhist Nun.

Win; One of the Top Girls employees/

Kit; Angie’s friend. Slightly older teen girl

*only femme identifying Japanese/East Asian actors will be seen for Lady Nijo

Track 4:

Patient Griselda (Any Age); femme identifying, any ethnicity appears in several classic texts but most notably Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Once a poor peasant girl she was proposed to by a wealthy Marquis in exchange for absolute obedience which he tested when he forces her to relinquish both her children.

Jeanine; Top Girls applicant

Nell; another of the Top Girl employees.

Track 5:

Dull Gret (30 plus); femme identifying, any ethnicity. The subject of the painting Dulle Griet by Pieter Breughel. Mostly silent in Act 1 but provides the climax to the Act with a long, vivid speech recounting her leading an army of fellow peasant women into hell

Joyce: Marlene’s worn out sister who raised Angie at the expense of her own health and the possibility of children of her own. She’s proudly working class and single but angry at being taken for granted.    

Track 6:

Pope Joan (30 plus) femme identifying, any ethnicity

Mrs. Kidd: Wife to the man Marlene was promoted above. She comes to the agency to ask Marlene to defer the job to her husband.

Track 7:

Isabella Bird (40 plus); femme identifying, any ethnicity world traveller and writer. Lived with chronic pain and numerous debilitating health conditions.

Louise; one of the Top Girl applicants. A mature-aged woman who’s leaving her current job due to being persistently sidelined for promotions whilst less qualified men are elevated over her.

A Note On Accents:

Accents

Marlene; East London accent; Marlene tries to sound metropolitan, her regional accent may occasionally come out but her voice has been carefully cultivated to help her ‘pass’ in higher social circles than she was raised in.

Joyce, Kit, Angie; Regional British accents; Suffolk, East English

Rest of the characters; General British accents.*

*In life/myth Isabella Bird was Scottish, Lady Nijo was Japanese, Pope Joan was Italian. Given they are externalised representations of Marlene’s subconscious they can be played with British accents. We may workshop different accents in rehearsals.

If actors wish to audition with their own or an accent they think would be appropriate to their interpretation of the character we’d be more than happy to hear it!

Please Note:

Current character breakdown/ doubling is merely a suggestion at this point in the process. Roles may be reassigned based on Actors interest/skill-set. 

Contact: 

For any further questions about the production, roles or audition process don’t hesitate to get in touch with Director via email theatrecat@live.com.au