Murder at the Rehearsal
by Colin Barrow
Directed by Barry French
Performance Dates – 16th, 17th, 23rd and 24th May
Audition Dates:
Tuesday 11th February – 8pm
Thursday 13th February – 8pm
Sunday 16th February – 6pm
All auditions will be held at the Kelvedon Institute, Main Hall.
Synopsis & General Information
This is a very easy script to stage with no actual scenery required. A good murder mystery where areas are a mix of drama and thriller, but all interspersed with a good comedy element throughout. From time to time there is input of a frightening or spooky kind that makes the cast and audience jump alike. This is a great boon for those running on a tight budget or have limited performing space. The costuming is simple, and each character can be developed with great scope by the actor.
The play is loosely built around some people or members commonly found in many theatrical groups/societies and clubs. It’s a script that many reading, acting and watching with a theatrical background at whatever level will recognise someone they probably know! It’s a fun script, a bit tongue-in-cheek and a little bit different.
The action takes place on stage at a theatre which is owned by a guild of theatrical groups in a town. Owning the building means the various groups use it for meetings, construction, sewing, rehearsals, etc. Here, the drama group has met to begin the first rehearsal on a bare stage with no set built or proper furnishings. After the arrival of their cast, the director attempts to start the first rehearsal of the chosen play. This rehearsal comes to an abrupt end when Mary dies, sitting in her chair on stage.
Over some days, the mystery of Mary’s death is explained, and it becomes apparent that she was poisoned. One by one other members of the cast are murdered whilst the police investigation goes on. This becomes a real brain teaser for Detective Shaw, as some murders even happen when he is in the building. The story twists and turns along the way until there are only two characters left: Detective Shaw and Rory Jones. Surely one of these two is the murderer? The play ends with everyone including the detective dead on stage! Or are they?
Characters (2m, 5f, 3m/f)
• Jill Hardcastle (f)
• Gemma Brookes (f)
• Mary Harris (f)
• Rory Jones (m)
• Andy Kemp (m)
• Kim Taylor (f)
• Jackie Draycott (f)
• Detective Shaw (m/f)
• Pat Spencer (m/f)
• Director (m/f)
Character Descriptions
Jill Hardcastle: Ostensibly, she is the director rehearsing the cast for the group’s next play. There is no age stipulated, but the script suggests that she is quite experienced in this job and has been ‘treading the boards’ for many/several years.
Gemma Brookes: A cast member of the play. No stipulated age but she is married.
Mary Harris: A cast member of the play. More senior in age, with a curt, stern, no-nonsense attitude that roughs people up. She believes she is the only one that can act in the group, and without her in the cast, the production would be rather third rate.
Rory Jones: A member of the cast. No age stipulated. For the play he is quite a theatrical lovey and flamboyant in appearance and body language. In the closing moments of this script he reverts to his normal self.
Andy Kemp: A member of the cast. No stipulated age but it would appear he’s done quite a lot on stage. For the last scene he would need a shirt/top which is liberally covered with faux blood having been ‘brutally stabbed’ prior to his entering.
Kim Taylor: A member of the cast. No age stipulated, but she is married. She has done quite a bit on stage in the past and is still very active. She is what one would describe as the Prima Donna of the group.
Jackie Draycroft: The props person for the group. No age stipulation. She’s said to have acted in the past, but was no good at it. So, she turned to doing the props, and is equally useless at that.
Detective Shaw: A police detective investigating the murders, who can be male or female. Shaw was married and is now divorced. There are a few minor mentions of being divorced from a wife, as she went off with another man, so if Shaw is played by a female actor, the simple change from wife to husband, she to he, etc, will resolve that with no problems to the working and running of the script.
Pat Spencer: Ex-army, the caretaker/theatre maintenance leader. Although written with a male actor in mind, the script allows the part to be played by a female if that is a better option to suit your available cast.
Director: A cameo role of just three lines at the very end of Act Two. The role could be played by the actual director of ‘Murder At The Rehearsal’ or another male or female actor if required.
