Rehearsals from late September / early October

The story

You might know the book, or the film with Liam Neeson; you might have even seen the original production at the Old Vic. I haven’t seen or read any of those. I’ve only read the play, quickly in one sitting. And it floored me. It made me gasp, it captivated me with its magic, and then it punched me in the face, threw me off a cliff and left me in a heap, sobbing, broken… And desperate to bring it to life.

Spoiler alert: A Monster Calls is not a happy story.

Conor O’Malley’s life is not that of a typical 12-year-old’s. His dad lives abroad, he’s getting bullied at school, his mum has cancer. And Conor is angry. Understandably, Conor cannot accept the truth of what’s happening. He expends the last of his anger by confronting the yew tree at the back of his house – yew trees are ancient, magical, dripping with folklore – they can heal, can’t they? Why isn’t it healing his mum?

This is when a monster calls…

“Here is what will happen: I will tell you three stories – three tales from when I walked before. Stories are the wildest things of all! Stories chase and bite and hunt. And when I have finished my three stories, you will tell me a fourth. And it will be the truth. Your truth – the one you hide, Conor O’Malley – the thing you are most afraid of.”

The monster’s stories are sort of fairy tales, fables, allegories, set in magical kingdoms – but in these tales, good and evil aren’t always clearly delineated. Good people do bad things, bad people good. They don’t always make sense. A bit like life.

But they each contain a message for Conor, and they’re each preparation for the tale Conor must himself tell. The truth he is terrified and ashamed to admit, about his life, his situation. About his mum, and the ultimate truth of her illness.

The play

The play is in three distinct ‘modes’ which mix and change throughout. There’s the real world, which is fairly naturalistic for the main characters (but created and populated by the ensemble’s movement). The second is Conor’s Nightmare – a terrifying, dizzying sequence which is replayed at different times during the story. And then there are the monster’s stories – fairytale-esque (which we’ll have a lot of fun putting together). There is one other ‘mode’, right at the end… but I’m not going to tell you about that.

The characters

Main parts

Please note, for the younger parts – Conor, Lily, Sully, Anton, Harry – we’ll be casting 16+ (despite the characters being 12).

Conor

Conor is the focus of our story. Angry, confused, he wants to be normal, live a normal life. But life hasn’t gone that way for him. He can be stubborn and kind, strong and vulnerable. An extraordinary part, which will require an extraordinary young actor.

Mum – (late 30s – early 50s)

A beautiful part for an actor who can show someone trying desperately to be strong and normal for everyone around her, whilst facing the reality of – and battling – a deadly illness.

Monster – could be almost any age late 20s+

An incredibly physical, mystical powerhouse of a role. He’s got to be both gargantuan and terrifying, kind and human, and everything in between. You don’t get roles like this very often – it’s a proper once-in-a-lifetime part.

Grandma – 60s+

Stoic, stern, serious, she seems to be everything Mum isn’t to Conor. But her rigid and hard exterior is there for an important purpose – to protect Conor and herself from the impending sadness which is about to engulf their lives.

The ensemble

(including Lily, Sully, Anton, Harry who will also play Conor’s school friends, Miss Godfrey, Mr Marl, King, Queen, Princess, Farmer’s Daughter, Prince, Parson, Apothecary, Parson, Parson’s Daughter).

I’m looking for around 8-10 actors to play the other roles, and form the physical ensemble, who will create everything from characters in the monster’s stories, to the physical spaces and landscapes of Conor’s nightmare. This will be demanding, physically and mentally, but a lot of fun, and I’m open to anybody of any age (with the exception of those who will be playing Conor’s schoolfriends) who wants to come along to audition. You need to be able to move, and be strong enough to support others, and hold some tricky shapes and positions. If in doubt, come and have a go!

Auditions

The auditions will be in two parts – separate readings of parts, plus a movement / ensemble workshop. You’ll need to attend both parts (on the same day, if you can).

Each of the two sessions will comprise:

Hour 1 – separate auditions for named roles

Hour 2 – movement workshop (everybody)

Hour 3 – separate auditions for named roles

When you book in for an audition, tell us which movement workshop slot you can do, and we’ll arrange your individual audition for either side of it.

If you’re only interested in auditioning for the ensemble, that’s fine – just let us know. And if you can’t make either, but are interested, let us know, and we’ll try to find an alternative time / date.

Contact George Curry ([email protected]) to book an audition slot.

Contact Mark O’Sullivan ([email protected]) if you would like to discuss anything ahead of the auditions.