We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Bottle Alley Theatre Company

Aug. 08 (2022)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, an adaptation of the novel by Shirley Jackson, is a gothic horror piece revolving around a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and their alienation from a hateful, suspicious New England village. The play explores love and trauma in families, self preservation, and what it truly means to be an outsider. 

 

This production will be performed at the Neill Cochran House in Austin on November 4th - 6th and 11th - 13th. Rehearsals will likely begin early to mid-September and we plan to rehearse three to four times per week in the evenings or weekends and will last two to four hours per rehearsal. The exact rehearsal schedule will be shared with the final cast once reasonable conflicts have been taken into account. 

 

All roles in this production are paid. Actors of all backgrounds and experience levels will be considered.

 

Character Breakdown:

 

Mary Katherine Blackwood aka Merricat: 18 year old woman, Merricat is often quiet and mysterious but is very protective of her household and her older sister Constance. Merricat is the narrator of the novel.  

 

Constance Blackwood: 28 year old woman, Constance has become the mother and caretaker of the Blackwood household after her family’s death. She is extremely agoraphobic so she never leaves the family property and rarely takes visitors. 

 

Julian Blackwood: 50+ year old man, Julian Blackwood is the uncle of Merricat and Constance and the sole survivor of the murder attempt that took the lives of the rest of the Blackwood family. The murder attempt has left him physically ill and he struggles with his memory and spends most of his energy working on a book that details the murders. 

 

Charles Blackwood: 32 year old man, Charles Blackwood is the cousin of Merricat and Constance, and has been out of touch since the murders, when his part of the Blackwood family cut off contact. Charles seems to have good intentions on the surface, but likely more sinister or selfish motives underneath.

 

Ensemble: We are looking for approximately four actors to play several parts in the ensemble of this production, including:

  • Mrs. Helen Clarke: 40+ year old woman, she is an overbearing busybody that visits the Blackwood house once a week for tea.

  • Mrs. Lucille Wright: 40+ year old woman, an uninvited guest to tea.

  • Villagers: Any age or gender, a variety of parts but the villagers generally do not like the Blackwood family

 

 

Audition Information: 

First, fill out our audition form here: https://bit.ly/3PhNatT

Then email your headshot and resume to bottlealleytheatrecompany@gmail.com 

And finally reserve your prefered audition date and time here: https://bit.ly/3yXxZAU

Auditions will take place at the Dougherty Arts Center (1110 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704) from 6:30 - 9:30 pm in Room 4W on Monday, August 8th. Callbacks will be held in the same building in Room 4W from 6:30 - 9:30 on Tuesday, August 9th. We will notify actors regarding callbacks after 10 pm on August 8th. 

We will also be accepting video auditions, but please note that we are unable to cover any travel or lodging costs for performers located outside of the Austin area. If you would like to submit a video audition, we ask that you please complete the audition form and select the video audition option. We will email everyone interested in a video audition the available sides by midnight on August 6th and ask that all final video submissions be emailed to bottlealleytheatrecompany@gmail.com by 6:30 pm on August 8th.  About Bottle Alley: Bottle Alley Theatre Company is a DIY punk theatre company specializing in found space theatre. We have been staging strictly strange work in increasingly odd and beautiful places since 2012. You can find out more about us at bottlealleytheatre.com Creative Team: - Director: Marian Kansas - Assistant Director: Sarah Hogestyn - Producer: Amber Wilson