Fawlty Towers Audition Pack

Home , Basil Fawlty, Communication Problems, Manuel (Fawlty Towers), Polly Sherman, Sybil Fawlty, The Germans

• Five performances from 23-26 September 2015 at the Bridewell Theatre, Blackfriars • Auditions will be held Wednesday 17 June, 1 Churchill Place • Rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday 6.30-8.30pm, 1 Churchill Place PRODUCTION

This production will be comprised of three episodes from scripts of the original TV series; The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems. We will be casting 19 actors made up of:

Seven regular roles which occur in each episode, 3 male, 4 female

Twelve actors (6 female, 6 male) who can play various different larger and smaller speaking roles in each episode

AUDITIONS

Auditions will be held on Wednesday 17 June at Barclays HQ, 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, E14 and will be open to all paying members of the society.

As a steer on what the casting committee will be looking for, character will be key. If you've never seen Fawlty Towers, feel free to view the episodes on Netﬂix, YouTube, etc to get an idea.

If you have time, please read the script pieces before the audition to give yourself more of a chance than if you simply read the lines straight off the page.

While the director will want to give you freedom to bring your own character to the roles, success in casting will be based on how you portray it. Not so worried about you learning the audition lines, though that can help you express yourself more easily. REHEARSALS and SHOW WEEK

Rehearsals commence Tuesday 23rd June and will run each Tuesday and Thursday 6.30-8.30pm at Barclays HQ, 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf. There will be up to two all day rehearsals on Sundays (dates to be announced).

Show week will run as follows:

Saturday 19th September - van load of set, Raynes Park, SW London Sunday 20th September - at the Bridewell Theatre. Set construction, lighting/sound set up Monday 21st September - tech rehearsal. This rehearsal is likely to be signiﬁcantly longer, as it will build in all lighting and sound cues. Tuesday 22nd September - dress rehearsal Wednesday 23rd September - Performance, 7.30pm Thursday 24th September - Performance, 7.30pm Friday 25th September - Performance, 7.30pm Saturday 26th September - Matinee Performance, 2.30pm Saturday 26th September - Performance, 7.30pm Sunday 27th September - van unload of set, Raynes Park, SW London

SYNOPSIS

The setting is Fawlty Towers, a ﬁctional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, on the "English Riviera". The plots centre on tense, rude and put-upon owner Basil Fawlty, his bossy wife Sybil, comparatively normal chambermaid Polly, and hapless Spanish waiter Manuel, showing their attempts to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests.

RECURRING ROLES

The roles below (3m, 4f) feature in each episode:

Basil Fawlty ...is snobbish, cynical and desperate to belong to a higher social class. He sees a successful hotel as a means of achieving this ("turn it into an establishment of class...") yet his job forces him to be pleasant to people he despises.

He is intimidated by his wife Sybil Fawlty. He yearns to stand up to her, but his plans frequently conﬂict with her demands.

Sybil Fawlty ...is Basil's wife. Energetic and petite, she prefers a working wardrobe of tight skirt suits in shiny fabrics and sports a tower of permed hair augmented with hairpieces and wigs and necessitating the use of overnight curlers. She is often a more effective manager of the hotel, making sure Basil gets certain jobs done or stays out of the way when she is handling difﬁcult guests Polly Sherman ...is a waitress and general helper at the hotel. She is the most competent of the hotel's staff and the voice of sanity during chaotic moments, but is frequently embroiled in ridiculous masquerades as she loyally attempts to aid Basil in trying to cover a mistake or keep something from Sybil.

Manuel ...is a well-meaning but disorganised and confused Spaniard from Barcelona with a poor grasp of the English language and customs. He is verbally and physically abused by his boss. When told what to do, he often answers, "¿Qué?" ("What?"). Manuel's character is used to demonstrate Basil's instinctive lack of sensitivity and tolerance.

Major Gowen ...is a slightly senile, amiable old soldier who is a permanent resident at the hotel. He is one of the few guests whom Basil seems to like. This is because of his former military status, making him a symbol of the establishment status that Basil craves.

Miss Gatsby Miss Tibbs ...are the other two permanent residents. Seemingly inseparable, these sweet-natured, dotty spinsters appear to have taken a fancy to Basil, feeling that they need to take care of him.

Episodes:

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS Mrs Richards, a short-sighted, deaf, and aggressive old woman (but who believes she is in perfect condition and accuses others of being blind and deaf), arrives at the hotel and instantly starts arguing with everybody. Meanwhile, Basil gets a horse racing tip from a satisﬁed customer and, although Sybil has banned Basil from gambling, he plans to discreetly bet on it anyway.

Cast: 1f, 6m

Mrs Richards (larger role) ...is an uncompromising, selectively deaf battleaxe who constantly complains about the hotel service, even though nothing is notably wrong with it. She has the will and the power to bend everyone and anyone's patience to get her own way.

Terry Hugh ...is the sly, somewhat shifty Cockney chef at Fawlty Towers. Terry's cooking methods are somewhat casual, which frustrates and worries the neurotic Basil.

Mr Thurston

Mr Firkin ...is the person who gives Basil the tip for the 3 o'clock at Exeter with a horse called Dragonﬂy, which leads to a whole load of problems. Mr Firkin has the rare distinction of being satisﬁed with his stay and paying his bill without any issues.

Other guests (small roles) Mr Macintosh Mr Kerr Mr Yardley 4 extras

THE GERMANS A moose head to be hung, a ﬁre drill to be conducted, and German guests are all a bit much for Basil to handle while Sybil's in hospital.

Cast: (All smaller roles, 5f, 4m)

Miss Wilson Her character is of a posh, educated nature. It is she who asks Basil how people are supposed to distinguish between the burglar alarm and the ﬁre alarm.

Doctor Sister Mr Sharp Mrs Sharp Male German guest Male German guest Female German guest Female German guest

THE HOTEL INSPECTORS When Basil hears of hotel inspectors roaming Torquay incognito, he realises with horror that the guest he has been verbally abusing could easily be one of them.

Cast: 4m

Mr Hutchinson (larger role) ...is a self-righteous, loud and annoying guest with a brash, uncompromising, precise attitude and an irritating tendency to use many words when only a few would sufﬁce, which he claims is because he "ﬁnds the air here most invigorating." He is Basil's main antagonist and bears a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler.

Mr Walt (larger role) ... a guest who seems brash, and abrupt. He likes to be left alone, and seems rather irritable (which is largely due to Basil's extreme behaviour).

(Smaller roles) John Brian AUDITION PIECES

1. Basil and The Major (The Germans) 2. Basil, Sybil, Sister, Doctor (The Germans)

3. Basil, Mr Walt (The Hotel Inspectors) 4. Basil, Manuel (Communication Problems) 5. Mrs Richards, Basil, Manuel (Communication Problems) 6. Mr Hutchinson, Basil (The Hotel Inspectors) 7. Polly, Basil, Sybil (Communication Problems)