by Annie Baker, Directed by Emma Cornford.
Performance dates and times :
Wednesday 8 – Saturday 11 July and Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 July at 7.30pm.
Matinées on Saturdays 11 and 18 July at 3pm
To be performed at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington.
Audition dates and times :
Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 April from 7pm at the Tower Theatre.
Possible recalls on Sunday 19 April from 2pm.
Auditions will take place at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington.
Contact the Director, Emma Cornford, (with a copy to the Assistant Director, As Richards,) to arrange an audition, for more information or if you cannot make either of the audition dates.
Please identify which character you would like to audition for and provide any dates you would not be able to commit to during the rehearsal process. It is not necessary to prepare anything, but please read the play beforehand; there is a copy in the foyer of the Tower. At the audition, you will be asked to perform a short scene or extract from the play with other auditionees; you may also be asked to perform part of a monologue. Copies of the audition extracts will be made available on the day; monologues will be emailed to you in advance. You will be informed of the outcome of your audition after the recalls have taken place.
If we would like to see more of you, we will invite you to the recall, where you will work through further scenes from the play. You may be required to be present for the full recall audition.
Auditions are for Tower Theatre Company Members only.
If you would like to join the Company, please click here for more information.
About the Play:
Set in a community centre in the small town of Shirley, Vermont, the events of Circle Mirror Transformation unfold over six weeks of an adult creative drama class, led by teacher Marty. Through a series of drama games and exercises, we learn about these lost and lonely people as their lives intersect. This is a tender, warm and funny play in which nothing much seems to happen, but beneath the surface, a great deal is going on. Each role is fully developed and three dimensional, offering actors a rich and rewarding opportunity to explore and develop their characters. Winner of a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the 2010 Obie Award for Best New American Play, the play was an early success for the distinguished playwright. It premiered in the UK in 2013 at the Rose Lipman building in Haggerston as part of the Royal Court’s Theatre Local season.
Cast required
All roles are open to actors of any ethnic and cultural background. Character ages are approximate. Although the play is set in New England, American accents are not essential.
Marty, female, fifty-five: she is the drama teacher and leads the sessions each week. She is the co-director of the community centre and runs a number of creative classes. She is interested in alternative medicine and lifestyles. She is step-mother to James’s daughter.
James, male, sixty: married to Marty. Had a difficult upbringing as the child of alcoholics and an unconventional youth. He is not as close to his daughter as Marty is.
Schulz, male, forty-eight: is a carpenter. Still reeling from his divorce and definitely lonely, is attracted to Theresa.
Theresa, female, thirty-five: moved to Shirley from New York after leaving a toxic relationship. Has been an actress but is now training for a certificate in acupressure. Like Schulz, she is struggling to adapt to her new life.
Lauren, female, sixteen: a high school student, she sees herself as hard-working, self-critical and stubborn. Wants to study performing arts at college and to play Maria in her school’s forthcoming production of West Side Story.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals will begin on Sunday 10 May, following the pattern of:
● Sundays, 10am-2pm
● Tuesdays, 7-10pm
● Thursdays, 7-10pm
All cast members are required to attend the Get-In on Sunday 5 July, the Technical Rehearsal on Monday 6 July and the Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday 7 July. The cast is also required to help with the strike after the final performance on Saturday 18 July.
 Emma Cornford has appeared at the Tower in Death and the Maiden, A Ten Minute Play About Rosemary’s Baby, All That Fall, That Almost Unnameable Lust, The Railway King, Crime and Punishment and Moby Dick. She is an assistant artistic director of the Tower. Emma has been teaching Drama in London comprehensives for many years and currently works in a secondary school in Walthamstow. |
Costume Design: Angela Large
Lighting Design: Steven Cox
Sound Design: Matthew Ibbotson
Stage Manager: Paige Leavy
Assistant Director: As Richards