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Dickens Christmas Fair 2007 October Missive #3
(sent October 17th, 2007)
Just a quick missive, rather early this week as I have family
obligations Thursday and Friday. More information will be in next
week's missive.
Anyone who would like to be added to the missive list can email me at
this address and ask to be added. Please have them include their first
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Past missives can be found at
http://www.cattaylor.com/missives.html
In This Missive:
Postcards Needs Backstage Crew
God Bless Us Every One! The Blessed Order of Christmas Keepers
Comes to Dickens Fair!
More Book Character Auditions During Workshops
Postcards Needs Backstage Crew
It takes a lot to keep those tableaux moving! A lot of work,
and a few strong men (or women). We need people who can organize
and move props, with speed and grace, keeping one's eye on the job at
hand. It's a tight situation backstage, with a cast of seemingly
hundreds, and lots of stuff to get on and off, at lightning speed, with
no thunder. If you think this might be the role for you in
Postcards, please contact Ted Miller at 510-706-9989 or come by on the
first day of workshops, and let's talk!
God Bless
Us Every One! The Blessed Order of Christmas Keepers Comes to
Dickens Fair!
As the song says, We need a little Christmas – right this very
minute! The Blessed Order of Christmas Keepers has been developed
to help infuse every aspect of the Fair with the glorious and
irresistible jollity of Mr Dickens Christmas Sprit. It's
Yule-a-licious!
Christmas Keepers will add focus and dimension to the parades and
pageants, thereby encouraging greater audience enjoyment (and
understanding of what they are seeing). They will also move about
the fair creating Christmas merriment by carrying packages, decorating
certain pre-set areas, and generally being obsessively jolly.
This group can be a terrific entry point for people who are new to
Dickens Fair, and who want to get a feel for the kind of magic we are
creating. This can also serve as a home for performers who want
to participate in the Father Christmas and Toy Parades (those who have
participated in some of the larger RenFaires will recognize the model
as being related to the guilds of St. Helena and St. Cuthbert)
The idea for this group came from our own Therese Porter, and the group
itself will be facilitated by Sharon Collier from the Other Books
cast. If you are interested in being part of this infectiously
happy holiday group, please contact Therese Porter at
mrs.finching@gmail.com
More Book Character Auditions
During Workshops
The exact audition times will be announced in a forthcoming
missive, but these are the character roles currently open. Please
consider them and start researching, there are some great roles here!
Christmas Carol
Needed
Bob Cratchit - Scrooge's clerk and father of Tiny Tim
Peter Cratchit - Eldest son of Bob Cratchet & brother to Tiny Tim
age 10 - 13
Youngest Cratchit Daughter - 3rd daughter to Bob Cratchit and sister to
Tiny Tim age 7 -- 9
Younger Cratchit Son - 2nd son to Bob Cratchit and brother to Tiny Tim
age 7 - 9
Solicitor #2 - 1 of 2 men who come to Scrooge for donations for the poor
Wanted:
School age Scrooge - Schoolboy Scrooge age 10 - 14
Fan Scrooge - Scrooge's younger sister age 9 - 12
Fred’s Sister-in-Law #1 - Sister to Fred's wife
Fred’s Sister-in-Law #2 - Sister to Fred's wife
Joe the fence - Man who buys Scrooge's things after he
dies
Turkey Boy - Goes to get Turkey for
Scrooge
The ages provided are to give an idea of what I am looking for, but
they are not set in stone. So, even if your child is not exactly the
age specified have them come to the auditions anyway.
Thank you,
Ana Elizondo
Director "A Christmas Carol"
lilmonkee@hotmail.com>
Oliver
Twist
Dodger - FOUND. Thanks for all interest in Dodger! We have
a talented young man, and a familiar face from last years cast, who
will be rocking the character of young Artful.
Oliver - We are still looking for young Oliver Twist himself. It
may be a part time gig, split with another fine young lad, so if the
schedule daunts a potential star there is room to work something
out. Oliver is the linchpin around which the entire story is
told... a young boy of exceptional gentleness and kindness who gets
wrapped up in nefarious plot. He is taken in by a group of
thieves who try to drag him down into a life of crime, but is saved by
upper class relatives to live a life of bliss.
Bet - Bet is Nancy's best friend who gets wrapped up in the fate of
young Oliver Twist. The age range for Bet is flexible, but she
must be of an appropriate age to read well next to our dear
Nance. It is uncertain yet if Bet will be a part or full time
character, so if you have some weekends you can't attend, it may be
alright, pending approval. Bet is a Cockney character, doesn't
need to be corseted (though can be), and is a great deal of fun - her
required scenes are light but important, so there is a lot of time to
play with audience in the streets.
Mr. Brownlow - Mr. Brownlow is an upper class man of mature age (30+,
at least in appearance) who ultimately rescues young Oliver
Twist. His scenes are mostly in the early afternoon to early
evening, so pending approval one could conceivably do other things in
the day as well, as long as the character of Brownlow is
maintained. He has one short scripted scene with Judge Fang,
which is a great deal of fun, and otherwise has improv based
scenes.
Thanks,
Gwen Warfield
Director "Oliver Twist"
gwen@yellowness.com
The "Other
Books"
There are no small roles in Dickens, and every one of these roles
is tried and true to offer all the scenery one can chew plus enormous
opportunities for audience and participant interaction. Help keep
the Dickens in Dickens Fair!
Note: If you have played a specific role with us in the past and see it
on this"Wish List", it means that you have either not let us know you
were still with us, that you indicated that you might not be able to
work this fair, or at some point indicated that you were considering
relinquishing the role. Feel free to contact Therese and Rydell if you
have questions or concerns.
Everyone else, see if there's anything that looks promising and
consider auditioning for it. If you have a favourite Dickens
character that you would like to play, contact us to discuss. It
may not be availbale but we might have something equally fun in our bag
of tricks.
Nicholas
Nickleby
Smike - Nicholas' loyal yet physically debilitated sidekick in his
adventures.
Charles Cheeryble - Force of nature and formidable philanthropist.
Edwin (Ned) Cheeryble - The same (his twin).
Frank Cheeryble - Incredibly high spirited and well-meaning nephew
(Kate Nickelby's love interest).
Henry Wittiterly - Sensitive and upright spouse of Mrs. W.
Mrs. Julia Wittiterly - Painfully aesthetic and sensitive spouse of Mr.
W. - very conscious of her ornamental place in society.
Alphonse (Bill) - their sullen page
Tim Linkinwater - Cheeryble Brothers longtime clerk, a lion albeit no
longer young.
Mr. Scaley - Repo man.
Mr. Tix - Repo man
David
Copperfield
David Copperfield - the quintessential Dickens male ingenue: earnest,
ambitious, and idealistic
Uriah Heep - unctuous, ambitious clerk to Mr Wickfield and David's
nemesis
Dan Peggotty - Clara Pegotty's gruff, large-hearted, salt o' the earth
(and man o' the sea)
Li'l Emily - Beautiful young woman doomed to a life of sin by her
ambition.
Rosa Dartle - Mysterious and dark young woman of society.
Great
Expectations
Joe Gargery - Kindly, self-effacing blacksmith and father figure to Pip
in his childhood
Abel Magwich - Ex-felon. Pip's secret benefactor.
Molly - The extremely reserved, mysterious and slightly unnerving
servant to Mr. Jaggers (she has a secret!)
Our Mutual
Friend
Nicodemas "Noddy" Boffin - The "golden dustman," jolly working class
gentleman made rich by a stroke of good fortune.
Rogue Riderhood - "Colourful dockside character," and scoundrel of the
first water.
Mr. Venus - An eccentric articulator of bones.
Mr. Veneering - Society gentleman. New money putting on airs.
Mrs. Veneering - Society Lady. New money putting on airs.
"Fascination" Flegby - A deceptively mild-mannered young man about
town, associate of the Lammles.
Little
Dorritt
Amy "Little" Dorrit - Young, serious woman - the "industrious little
fairy" around whom the story turns
Arthur Clennam - Long-suffering, poetically morose gentleman (early
middle age - Mrs. Finching's former fiance).
Daniel Doyce - Indefatigable inventor and entrepreneur, the "Spirit of
the Age" made manifest
Pancks - Man of business to a benign tyrant, a snorting tugboat of a
man.
Martin
Chuzzlewitt (only casting English, NOT American)
Mr. Pecksniff - An ambitious upper middle-class gentleman with a strong
hypocritical streak (among his other carefully covered-up vices).
Mercy "Merry" Pecksniff - The younger Miss Pecksniff, lively to the
point of pertness, the "pretty one"
Charity "Cherry" Pecksniff - The elder Miss Pecksniff, very
proper on the surface, the "smart one"
Martin Chuzzlewit (the elder) - Rich and cantankerous old gentleman.
Mary - The elder Mr. Chuzzlewitt's companion and nurse, poor but
proud, restrained and sensible
Martin Chuzzlewit (the younger) - A vain, strong-willed,
egotistical and ambitious young man, the elder Martin's contentious
nephew
Tom Pinch - Martin's preternaturally cheery and optimistic (to the
point of delusion!) friend, and dogsbody to the Pecksniffs
Montague Teague (Tig Montague) - Boisterously flamboyant con man.
Chevvy Slime - Oily, ne'er-do-well distant relation of the Chuzzlewitt
clan
Mrs. Todger - Very proper, very nervous, very Dickensian landlady.
Young Bailey - The Todgers' bootblack a clever, witty, jocular boy,
wise beyond his years.
Thank you,
Therese Porter and Rydell Downward
Co-directors "The Other Books"
airndarkness@yahoo.com
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