This autumn, St George’s Players are excited to bring you Frankenstein, the classic gothic tale of one man’s obsession to defy the laws of human nature and with it, call into question humanity itself.
Performance nights: 31 Oct, 1 & 2 Nov
Audition nights: 18, 20 & 25 June at 8pm each evening
Location: St George and St Michael Church Hall, Vancouver Road, SE23 2AG London
To bring out the range of characters and highlight the different aspects of the story, we have selected a number of audition pieces to draw from. These are:
Audition piece 1 – introducing the story.
Pages 5-6. This piece introduces the play and our first two characters. Sophie, the housemaid, timid but loyal to the Frankensteins, and Ernst, the inspector general of the local police on the hunt for the Creature who is seeking out Victor Frankenstein with a murderous score to settle.
Audition piece 2 – The realisation by Victor of what he has created
Pages 10-19. This piece develops the story, with Victor realising the horror of the creature he has created. In this piece we are introduced to Dr Victor Frankenstein, Henry/Henrietta and Frau Frankenstein (alongside Sophie and Ernst). It also highlights the relationship between Henry/Henrietta and Victor with a very brief introduction of the creature he has created.
Audition piece 3 – The human face of the creature.
Pages 19-23. This piece develops the complexity of the relationship between Victor, his loyal friend, Henry/Henrietta and highlights the human face of the creature that Victor has created.
Audition piece 4 – The mother, the lovers
Pages 24-28. This piece highlights the tensions and love between Frau Frankenstein and her son, alongside some tenderness between Victor and his lover, Elizabeth. The scene involves Frau Frankenstein, Victor, Elizabeth and Sophie.
Audition piece 5 – The making of a bride for the creature.
Pages 29-33. This piece takes us through the creature’s reason for wanting a bride and Victor’s ongoing reluctance to create one.
Audition piece 6 – Frau Frankenstein’s strength
Pages 44-46. This piece shows the strength and determination of Frau Frankenstein to protect her son by ensuring Elizabeth does all she can to show love and support to him.
Audition piece 7 – Justine pleads innocence, Henry’s death and the Creature departs
This piece shows us the hypocrisy in Victor letting an innocent girl go guilty and Henry persuading Victor to let the creature go free, but with a deadly price to pay.
And a brief summary of each character (in order of appearance):
Ernst, an inspector general of the local police. Male. Age 40 upwards (flexible). A confident character, a general of the old school. Flashes of occasional anger and annoyance at the situation with the creature but an ultimate professional. Very respectful to Frau Frankenstein.
Sophie, a housekeeper. Female. Age 30 or younger (flexible). Timid, somewhat lacking confidence but fiercely loyal to the Frankensteins.
Victor Frankenstein. Male. Age mid 30s (some flexibility). A vulnerable, complex character with a brilliant mind. Full of self doubt whilst constantly thinking of how far he could test himself. Wants to push the limits of human capability but racked with the guilt reaching such limits brings.
Elizabeth. Female. Mid 20s to mid 30s. Victor’s fiancé, a mild, well mannered young woman who on the surface appears subservient. In reality, she has a steely determination to get what she wants from life. Adores Victor and will stop at nothing to protect him.
Henry (or Henrietta). Male / Female. Age 30s (some flexibility). Victors loyal friend from school days. Scientist also like Victor. Clever, determined, practical but also with a competitive edge – dangerously so as he / she pushes Victor further and further out of his comfort zone. Although the script casts this role as male, we would like to see how the character works when seen from the perspective of a female character.
Frau Frankenstein. Female. Age around 50s. A strong female role – matriarch character. Commands respect from all who interact with her. Fractious relationship with Victor but ultimately her priority is to protect her son, including from himself.
The Creature. Male. Ageless in many ways but assumed 20s to 40s. An artificially created man whose feelings are unconstructed and sense of right and wrong underdeveloped. Sees things through child’s eyes yet with adult strength and reasoning. Menacing when threatened.
Justine. Female. Age – flexible. Described as a gypsy traveller. Shy, simple but not lacking confidence and shows streaks of strength, sometimes anger that come through when she sees and feels injustice and hypocrisy on display by the “ruling” class.
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Due to copyright regulations, we cannot share extracts from the script in advance online. Copies will be available at the auditions. If you are interested in reading the script in advance, it can be purchased from https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/2456/frankenstein-kelly.
If you have any questions about one of the roles before the auditions, please reach out to Stephen Gaskell, our executive producer, or Shelley Brownlee, our director who’ll be happy to help:
Shelley: shelley.brownlee@gmail.com
Stephen: stephengaskell76@gmail.com
Looking forward to seeing you on the night!