The Settlement Players are pleased to announce the cast for
Bronte by Polly Teale 16 – 18th November 2017

Patrick – Ian Mutton

Branwell and Rochester/Heathcliff/Huntingdo​n – Ivan Phillips

Charlotte – Jo Roskilly

Emily – Sarah Rice

Anne – Amy Walker

Cathy/Bertha – Amanda Franklin

Heger/Bell Nichols – Kara Lee

Director – Stephen Charles

The Bronte sister’s story, set in 1845, follows their rise and their brother Branwell’s fall. Invoking the real and imagined world of the Brontes, as their fictional characters haunt their creators.

Visit Bronte Society to learn more of Brontë200 – a five year programme celebrating the bicentenaries of the births of four of the Brontës: Charlotte in 2016, Branwell in 2017, Emily in 2018 and Anne in 2020. In 2019, the Brontë Society will celebrate Rev Patrick Brontë, 200 years after he was invited to take up the role of parson in Haworth.

Tickets will be available nearer the production.

The Players AGM will be held this Wednesday at 8pm at the Settlement. Please come along and meet us and have a drink.

Audition Notice:
Three Tables by Dan Remmes which is approximately 35 minutes long.
Auditions are Sunday 9th July at 10am and Monday 10th July at 8pm. Performance is Saturday 9th September

There are 3 couples having dinner in a restaurant plus a very small part of a waiter with a couple of lines. There is not much in the way of staging – 3 tables in a restaurant with 2 chairs at each table. The conversations alternate between the tables. Not much action but nice dialogue and good characterisation for actors to get their teeth into. There are restaurant type props but the only meal that is served is a salad with some bread and everyone ends up with a drink at some point. The play is American but I think I am going to change the American references to British ones thus avoiding the need for American accents.

Characters:
Waiter – ideally male – with very few lines but some well timed entrances.

Paul & Mandy – a couple celebrating their 5 year anniversary although the evening doesn’t really go to plan….

Barbara and Michael – Barbara is trying to get Michael to sign the divorce papers.. but Michael has other ideas…

Doris and Todd – what do you get when you have a lawyer and a therapist out on a blind date…??

With regards to ages – all ages are pretty flexible but do depend on how each character interacts with the other people cast. The script suggests 30s for everyone but I think anyone between the ages of 24 and 50ish should consider coming down for a read through.

Rehearsals will be during the summer holidays – after an initial read through, just after casting, I hope to meet again in August when everyone is pretty much off book. This means rehearsals will be about characterisation and interaction and we will have the freedom to experiment. This also means things move nice and quickly in rehearsals. As the play is mainly a series of duologues rehearsals can initially be in couples on different nights, but everyone will need to be available for the last 2 weeks of rehearsals.

I am really looking forward to seeing you all at the audition – this play is funny yet thought provoking so it will be a lot of fun to do. If you are keen to be considered but cannot make the auditions please contact me on sampowell2@hotmail.com.

Thank you!

Sam – Director

Click here to See the promotional video for our June production

No Naughty Bits by Steve Thompson, will be performed, 15-17 June, at the Little Theatre, The Settlement, Nevells Road, Letchworth, SG6 4UB during the Letchworth Festival.

Tickets available from David’s Music in Letchworth or online from the Box Office.

Support the letchworth festival 10th-25th June.

Here is a picture of the Settlement Players chairman working hard !!!! at our publicity stall at the Letchworth Festival. It was a great day, lots of sun and lots of leaflets given out about our production, No Naughty Bits 15-17 June and about the Players in general.

This was also the first outing of our great new banner.

No Naughty Bits by Steve Thompson, will be performed, 15-17 June, at the Little Theatre, The Settlement, Nevells Road, Letchworth, SG6 4UB during the Letchworth Festival.

Tickets available from David’s Music in Letchworth or online from the Box Office.

Support the letchworth festival 10th-25th June.

Audition Notice: Brontë by Polly Teale
Production dates: 16 – 18th November 2017
AUDITION DATES
Sunday 25th June 2017 3.00pm (Main Hall)
Wednesday 28th June 2017 8.00pm (Main Hall)
Brontë is a contemporary play that explores how three Victorian sisters living in isolation on the Yorkshire Moors came to write some of the most powerful and passionate fiction of all time. With the present tense set in 1845 we see both the real and imagined worlds of Charlotte, Emily and Anne as their fictional characters come to haunt their creators. We see how they are affected by their brother Branwell’s descent into alcoholism and insanity, and how their father, Patrick Brontë, an Irish priest, influenced their writings by encouraging the girls to read from a young age.
The sisters and Branwell play their much younger selves so the ages given are a guide. The scenes are not chronological and jump back and forth between the 1820s, 1840s and 1850s.
The Brontë family were close and so how actors interact, sound and look together is important. Each scene flows into the next, so physicality is going to be really important for the actors. An exciting challenge!

Charlotte/ Jane Eyre 29 in 1845 20-40’s

Emily/ Nelly 27 in 1845 20-40’s

Anne/ Mrs Huntingdon 25 in 1845 20-40’s

Branwell 28 in 1845 20-40’s

Patrick 68 in 1845 50 plus, Appears throughout play, moderate number of lines

Cathy/Bertha 20-40’s Combined roles, appears continually throughout play. Cathy has moderate number of lines; Bertha has a few lines and does a lot of physical acting. Being able to dance and sing a few lines would be a bonus.

Heathcliff/Arthur Huntingdon/ Rochester 20-40’s Combined roles, small part over 5 pages in the 2nd act.

Mr Heger (Belgian Schoolmaster whom Charlotte fell in love with) /Arthur Bell Nicholls (Haworth Curate that marries Charlotte) 20-40’s
Combined roles, small part throughout 2nd act.

The cast will be announced by Monday 3rd July 2017 and rehearsals will start on Monday 24 July 2017 with a read through.
Rehearsals will be on Monday and Wednesday at 8.00pm plus Sundays further into the schedule.

Director

The No Naughty Bits by Steve Thompson, will be performed, 15-17 June, at the Little Theatre, The Settlement, Nevells Road, Letchworth, SG6 4UB during the Letchworth Festival.

Tickets available from David’s Music in Letchworth or online from the Box Office.

Support the letchworth festival 10th-25th June.

Tickets are now available for No Naughty Bits, 15-17 June 2017, at the Little Theatre, The Settlement, 229 Nevells Rd, Letchworth from the Box Office and from David’s Music in Letchworth.

Tickets are now available for No Naughty Bits, 15-17 June 2017, at the Little Theatre, The Settlement, 229 Nevells Rd, Letchworth from the Box Office and from David’s Music in Letchworth.