by James Graham. Directed by Jess Staufenberg.
Performance dates and venue :
Evenings at 7.30pm : Wednesday 3 – Saturday 6 June and Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 June
Matinées on Saturdays 6 and 13 June at 3pm
at the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington
Audition dates and times :
Sunday 8 March from 10am and Thursday 12 March from 7pm at the Tower Theatre.
Possible recalls on Tuesday 17 March.
Auditions are for Tower Theatre Company Members only.
If you would like to join the Company, please click here for more information.
Contact Jess Staufenberg ([email protected]) copying in Assistant Director Jennie Foot ([email protected]) to arrange an audition, for more information, or if you cannot make either of the audition dates.
Please advise which character or characters you would like to audition for ahead of time, and provide any dates you would not be able to commit to in the rehearsal process. At the audition, you will be asked to perform a short extract from the play. You will perform this either alone or with other auditionees. The audition extract will be made available in advance. You may be paired up with other actors on the day, so there’s no need to prepare anything in advance with someone else. Copies of the audition extracts will be available on the day.
If we would like to see more of you, we will offer you an invite to a recall. Please note that the recalls take place five days after the final audition date. If you are not offered a recall, it does not necessarily mean that your audition was unsuccessful. You will be informed of the outcome of your audition after the recall date.
Recalls will be workshop based. You will work through further scenes from the play. Recall materials will be made available in advance. Auditionees may be required to be present for the full recall period.
About the play
Fleet Street, 1969-1970. Brash Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch acquires The Sun – a neglected, Labour-supporting newspaper on its last legs – enlisting disgruntled sub-editor Larry Lamb to resurrect the publication in record time. Recruiting a motley squad of Fleet Street’s most undervalued journalists, they set out to break the rules, upend the system, and prove they can outsell the establishment that has long looked down on them. Murdoch has a vision for his new paper: a kind of tabloid journalism that will transform British media forever.
Nominated for Best Play at the Olivier and Tony Awards, James Graham’s electrifying historical drama is an incision into the heart of the British press, and those who made it what it is today.
Cast required
This production features an ensemble cast playing journalists, executives, printers, and staff within the newsroom. Some roles may be doubled.
Genders and ages of characters may not reflect final casting choices. All roles are open to actors of any ethnic and cultural background.
Rupert Murdoch – in his late 30s, Australian, new owner of The Sun
Larry Lamb – in his 40s, Yorkshireman, formerly Daily Mirror, now new editor of The Sun
Hugh Cudlipp – in his 50s, Welsh, editor of the Daily Mirror
Stephanie Rahn – 20s, London, model and The Sun’s first Page 3 girl
Sir Alick / Chapel Father – Murdoch’s loyal deputy and media executive / union leader
Beverley – in his 20s, male, The Sun’s new glamour photographer
Brian McConnell – formerly at the Daily Mirror, now news editor at The Sun
Bernard Shrimsley – new deputy editor at The Sun
Joyce Hopkirk – new women’s editor at The Sun
Frank Nicklin – new sports editor at The Sun
Ray Mills / Lee Howard – thuggish subeditor / underdog reporter
Diana / Chrissie / Anna Murdoch – The Sun’s astrology writer / glamour girl / Murdoch’s wife
Host / Bench Hand – TV interviewer of Murdoch / kid fired for spying for the Mirrord Austria after the Anschluss in 1938 and died in Californian exile in 1945.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals will begin on Sunday 29 March, following the pattern of:
- Sundays, 2pm–6pm
- Monday evenings, 6-10pm
- Wednesday evenings, 6-10pm
All cast members are required to assist with the Get-In and Set Build on Sunday 31 May, the Technical Rehearsal on Monday 1 June (times to be confirmed; daytime availability may be required) and the Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday 2 June. The strike will take place after the final performance on Saturday 13 June.
 Jess Staufenberg has assistant directed or produced on A Dolls House, Crime and Punishment and Moby Dick at the Tower Theatre. She did LAMDA grade 7 acting and was in lots of plays when she was a kid and then failed to give theatre any love until wanting it back in her life post-pandemic. Her grandparents met in Nottingham Repertory Theatre as a set designer and actress, and she hopes they are mega proud of her. |
Costume Design : Jean Carr, Polly Dennish-Ross and Sheila Burbidge
Lighting Design : Samuel Littley
Stage Manager : Richard Davies
Assistant Director : Jennie Foot