AUDITION NOTICE
Wednesday June 8th 2022 at 7pm – Wharf Theatre.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
From the book by Joan Lindsay, Adapted by Tom Wright
Director – Debby Wilkinson
Performance dates Monday October 31st – Saturday November 5th 2022
Play Synopsis:
On St Valentine’s day 1900 a group of schoolgirls from Appleyard College set out for a picnic at Hanging Rock, a volcanic beauty spot in rural Victoria, Australia. Their idyllic day turns to nightmare as three of their number inexplicably vanish, never to be seen again.
Five female school student narrators recount the mystery of the disappearance and the looming hysteria as the illusion of genteel society is torn apart. The girls tell the story of the tragedy at Hanging rock with great purpose, as if slightly possessed by the past. After the disappearance, the grim aftermath is played out in a series of scenes as the ripple effects of the mystery grow wider and wider. Tom Wright has adapted the book by paring down the events, and by his use of rich, evocative, and poetic language. An edgy and mysterious play that requires precision performances.
Characters
This is very much an ensemble piece with an all-female cast.
The five female performers will portray all the roles, both male and female with various playing ages.
Some characters require Australian accents, but don’t let this put you off – in most cases it is occasional
and requires only a mild accent.
Performer One: Harriet, Albert, Mademoiselle.
Performer Two: Arielle, Miss McGraw, Sara, Edith, Doctor, Nurse
Performer Three: Amber, Michael Fitzhubert.
Performer Four: Elizabeth, Mrs Appleyard, Police Tracker.
Performer Five: Nikki, Policeman, Irma, Gardener.
The audition will be run as a workshop and will involve group work and solo work.
Scripts are available to read – please email me to arrange collection:
Any queries, or if you cannot make the audition date please contact me:
Debby Wilkinson 07505 142285 or email
You must be a Friend of the Theatre to take part in any production, details can be found on The Wharf Theatre’s website www.wharftheatre.co.uk