Auditions

Audition Information and Excerpts (Sides) for Closer

“Have you ever seen a human heart? It’s like a fist wrapped in blood.”

Four Londoners - obiturist Dan, stripper Alice, photographer Anna and dermatologist Larry - adrift in the anonymity of a big city meet by chance. They come together, fall apart, swap partners, love and hurt one other in an entangled web of sex and angst that spans years. An elegantly written, unflinchingly honest exposé of the way people love and hate told only through scenes of initial connection and destructive separation. Closer is a bleak analysis of sex, love, truth, betrayal and hypocrisy that proves how little separates modern urban life from primitive barbarism.

Please note, the play contains challenging themes and adult language. It is not suitable for under 16s.

The play will be performed at the Churchill Theatre from Wednesday, May 5th through Saturday, May 8th. There will be a total of 5 performances: evening performances at 7:30pm and a 2pm matinee on Saturday, May 8th.

Auditions for Closer will be held Sunday, February 7th beginning at 5:30pm and Monday, February 8th beginning at 7:30pm at 24 Buccleuch Place (2nd Floor). You are only required to attend one audition day. If you cannot make either day and are interested in auditioning, please contact me directly to set up an alternative audition time.

Let me take a moment to give you a few details about the production, rehearsal process and audition process.

Rehearsals will begin with a read through on Sunday, February 21st. For the remainder of February, there will be rehearsals each Thursday and Sunday. Beginning on March 4th, we will move to three night’s of rehearsal per week, meeting on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday evenings. There will be one Saturday rehearsal on May 1st. Rehearsals are typically from 19:30 – 22:30 and will be held at 24 Buccleuch Place (2nd floor). It is a small rehearsal space and we will move to a larger space for a few of the rehearsals towards the end of the period. There is no show fee, though there is a Grads membership joining fee. If you are already a member of the Grads, there is no additional fee for this show. If not, there is – upon successful casting – a joining fee of £20, which is good for all Grads productions within one year.

Not all actors will be called for every rehearsal. I have tried to schedule blocking scenes together, even if not chronologically, where the same actors are called. The initial blocking for the show will be finished by the end of March, leaving us April for character development, re-blocking and working the scenes. Closer is a large script (100 pages) and, owing to the Grads’ winter commitments, will require an intensive rehearsal period. It is important that you are available for your calls. Please be prepared to list any potential conflicts you may have with the rehearsal dates at the audition. Conflicts will not cut a person’s eligibility outright, but it is helpful to know from the outset so that I have the ability to tweak rehearsal plans if necessary.

Which leads neatly on to the audition! The audition sides (excerpts) have been listed below for your perusal. Copies of the sides and/or the complete script are available electronically in PDF format. There is no need to bring the sides with you to the audition, though you are welcome to if you want, as there will be reading copies at audition. As some have asked, let me clarify that there is no need to bring CV or headshot with you. Please look at all the sides as I may ask you to read for parts that you may not have initially considered. I’ll apologize up front but there may be some sitting around but I’ll try to keep it minimal. You will most likely be read multiple times, though not necessarily in succession. If you read a scene at 7:45, you may be called back to read additional material later in the evening. Don’t expect to slip out after only reading once. So that there are no surprises, you may be reading alone or with other auditionees. Additionally, you’ll be reading in front of the director, assistant director and potentially one reader.

There are 6 different sides with a variety of couplings of characters. Each side averages about 2-3 pages of script. These sides are available in pdf. Each side has been marked at the beginning with the names of the characters that will be asked to read. For the avoidance of any doubt, here is a list of the sides:

• Anna and Dan – Act 1, Scene 2 beginning with Dan: “Do you mind if I smoke?” and ending with Dan: “Neither do I.”
• Anna and Larry – Act 1, Scene 4 beginning with Larry: “Anna?” and ending with Larry: “Funny way of showing it, can’t he send you flowers?”
• Alice and Larry – Act 2, Scene 7 beginning with Larry: “D’you tell the truth?” and ending with Larry: “You’re strong”
• Alice and Anna – Act 2, Scene 9 beginning with Anna: “How did you get so brutal?” and ending with Alice: “Everyone’s selfish, I stole Dan from someone else.”
• Dan and Larry – Act 2, Scene 10 beginning with Dan: “When she came here you think she enjoyed it?” and ending with Dan: “Thank you.”
• Alice and Dan – Act 2, Scene 11 beginning with Alice: “I don’t love you any more.” and ending with Alice: “Do you have a single original thought in your head?”

The character breakdown is as follows:

Alice – (f 25-35) A stripper. Alice exists to be reinvented. She is a slate on which others project their desires. She is used in some respect by all the other characters and yet is the most honest about herself and her relationship with truth.

Anna – (f 35-45) A photographer. An intellectual foil to Larry’s brutishness, she hides behind a veneer of morality. A morality that she neither believes nor adheres to. She deals with pain by de-familiarizing it – taking photographs of sad strangers to create beauty.

Dan – (m 25-35) An obiturist. A failed novelist who uses Alice as inspiration, he is passionate but cynical and immoral. He is a man for whom love is by definition so disappointing that the only true eroticism lies in risk.

Larry – (m 35-45) A dermatologist. Composed and wry in the beginning, he quickly descends into bestial, primitive betrayed viciousness. He is perhaps the most devoted to the idea of truth despite the emotional anguish it causes him.

Please remember that the play contains challenging themes and adult language. Anyone considering the role of Alice, please note that she appears in a lap dance scene and will be costumed accordingly (g-string, bra, stilettos). Anyone considering the role of Larry, please note that he will appear in one scene wrapped only in a towel.

Thanks again for the interest and you have my apologies for the length of this note. I just wanted to make sure that everyone has a full understanding at the outset. I look forward to seeing you at the audition. If you have any questions in the interim, please do not hesitate to contact me at davidegrimes@sky.com.