Audition Notice for Rules for Living by Sam Holcroft
Auditions
Wednesday 2nd July – 8pm
Sunday 6th July – 11am
Both auditions in the Kincaid hall, also known as The Little Theatre
Please contact James if you would like to audition but cannot make the above dates.
James Barnard: barnard.james@gmail.com
Performances 13-15 November 2025
Dress Rehearsal 12 November 2025
Technical Rehearsal 9 November 2025
Rehearsals Monday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons (a couple of Sunday evenings when hall is not free in the day)
Rules for Living was first performed at the National Theatre in 2015. Set at Christmas time, Sam Holcroft’s play covers themes of family dynamics and dysfunction, and wider and societal expectations, as Edith and Francis’s grown-up sons, and their partners try to navigate the stress of the occasion.
Imagine Alan Ayckbourn’s relationship comedies, given a modern, psychological twist as the family try to use cognitive therapy to get them through a Christmas lunch nobody is really looking forward to. Each movement, gesture and vocal tic is dictated by the play’s defined “rules” which the characters must follow to survive the experience.
Each character’s rules are outlined below – as you’d expect, they are compelled to do the things they need rules for *a lot*.
Characters
• Matthew: Playing age: Late twenties to late thirties. Partner of Carrie. Brother of Adam. Son of Edith and Francis. Amiable, accommodating, but neurotic, he feels in his brother’s shadow and disregarded by his father. His “Rule” is that he must sit and eat to tell a lie.
• Carrie: Playing age: Late twenties to mid-thirties. Girlfriend of Matthew. A trained actress, she is nonetheless hugely self-conscious in day-to-day life. Her “Rule” is that she must stand and dance (to varying degrees of success) to tell a joke.
• Sheena: Playing age: Mid-thirties to mid-forties. Married to Adam. Outwardly calm and organised, she is increasingly unsure of her marriage. Mother to Emma. Her rule is that she must drink to criticise.
• Adam: Playing age: forties. Married, not entirely happily, to Sheena. Father to Emma. Son of Edith and Francis. Outwardly professionally successful, he is secretly envious of his brother and cowed by his previously domineering father. His rule is that he must put on various exaggerated accents to mock his family.
• Edith: Playing age: sixties / seventies. Married to wheelchair-bound Francis, mother of Adam and Matthew, grandmother to Emma. She is desperate for this family Christmas to be a success and struggles to cope with any deviations to the routine. Her “Rule” is that she must clean the room and self-medicate to keep calm.
• Francis: Playing age: seventies. Married to Edith, father to Adam and Matthew, grandfather to Emma. Post-stroke, he has no coherent lines as he is almost mute and confined to a wheelchair, a far cry from the domineering presence the others are used to. His lack of verbal ability is made up for by his facial expressions and stage presence.
• Emma: Scripted as 14, we will age her up, with a playing age of a reasonably convincing 16. Daughter of Adam and Sheena, granddaughter of Edith and Francis. She has depression and anxiety, and the state of her mental health preoccupies the others, to varying degrees – even if she is, perhaps, not the person we should be most concerned with!
The play takes place entirely within Edith and Francis’s kitchen-diner. It is divided into two Acts, with smaller “scenes” within them. Each Act takes place in real time. There are no scene-changes. The “Rules” will be projected to the audience, so they understand and remember why the characters are behaving the way they are at all times.
The rehearsal process will require a lot of hard work, in a fun, supportive environment. The script is as significant in terms of what the characters say as what they don’t or can’t say. I’m looking for committed actors who are prepared to step slightly outside their comfort zone and enjoy the zany yet truthful commentary on relationships this play presents.
James Barnard.
Audition Notice for ‘Drive’
Performance: 6th of September during the Settlement Players Open Evening
Audition Date: Wednesday 9th of July – 8pm – Kincaid Hall, also known as The Little Theatre.
Please contact Hamish if you would like to audition, but can’t make the above date: hcnr20@gmail.com
Rehearsals Mondays and Wednesdays at 8pm throughout August, with some Sunday afternoons closer to the performance.
Written by the Settlement Players’ very own Stuart Cocks, Drive is an original one-act performance that sees a group of individuals come together for a common cause: a speed awareness course.
But this isn’t as straightforward as ticking a box and then going on one’s way. And by the end, a speeding ticket is the last thing they’re thinking about.
Characters:
Teresa (playing age twenties to thirties):
One of two people running the course. Bubbly, enthusiastic and optimistic, she contrasts heavily with her work partner.
Victor (playing age forties to sixties):
The second of the two course runners. Calm, purposeful and deliberate, he won’t hesitate to drop some heavy truths on the attendees.
Dave (playing age forties to sixties):
The first attendee of the course, Dave uses humour to get himself through pretty much every situation.
Annie (playing age forties to sixties):
Dave’s wife, Annie isn’t even meant to be on the course, but ends up being roped in. She often feels she has to apologise for her husband.
Jennifer (playing age forties to fifties):
The second attendee: a Conservative MP.
Olivia (playing age twenties to thirties):
The third and final attendee, Olivia is an introverted character who takes time to open up to the rest of the cast.
Tony (playing age teens to twenties):
Dave and Annie’s son. He appears very briefly as a reminder to them.
Please note that the above details are for guidance purposes. Some roles are open to gender changes and age variations (please speak to me during the audition).
As we’re rehearsing during the summer, I understand many people will be taking holidays. Don’t let this discourage you from auditioning: let me know of any dates you can’t make, and I can tailor the rehearsals to accommodate where applicable.
Hamish Robb