Murder on the Orient Express
by Zach Theatre
Aug. 13
Follow Agatha Christie’s world-famous detective Hercule Poirot as he embarks on a luxurious
train journey—only to find himself entangled in an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery when a
passenger is found dead in the night.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS AUDITION NOTICE
ZACH Theatre seeks actors for our upcoming production of Murder on the Orient Express.
In-person auditions will be held in Austin on Wednesday, August 13th, 2025. We will accept video
submissions as first round auditions for individuals from out of town until August 13th.
. In-personcallbacks will be held on August 19th with potential New York callbacks TBD.
PERSONNEL:
Based on the Story by Agatha Christie | Adaptation by Ken Ludlow | Directed by Jenny Lavery
REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
●
Rehearsals begin December 30th
, 2025. Performances begin January 21st
, 2026 and closes March
1st
, 2026, with six - seven performances per week: Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm
and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION:
We are seeking AEA and non-AEA actors of all abilities, ethnicities, ages, and gender
expressions. All actors will be considered for all roles.
All actors: please fill out an Audition Form: LINK
○
If unable to make in person auditions, you should include a virtual video
submission on your form.
Local Actors interested in an in-person audition slot on August 13th: SIGN UP HERE
All actors: Please prepare sides for the character(s) of your choosing. Sides can be
found HERE.
○
Note: Accent/dialect work is important in this show. We’d like to see your best attempt at the
correct accent for each character. Perfection isn’t needed, we just want to see how well you
can attempt it. You may be asked to perform scenes with or without the accents.
○
Actresses who are ESL/bilingual are encouraged to audition for the role of Greta, and to use
their own accents rather than the scripted Swedish. Unless they are, in fact, Swedish.
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, August 13th
, 2025 at 11:00pm CST.
ROLES TO BE CAST:
●
●
Seeking actors of all genders, ethnicities, and ages for the following roles:
HERCULE POIROT: Male-identifying, Belgian Accent, 40s - 60s; A retired Belgian police officer, Poirot
is a meticulous, witty, and oddly charismatic world famous detective. He is passionately driven tofind answers, has a strong moral compass and is known for his long, curly moustache. Poirot is
intelligent, extremely aware of his ability and well-deserved reputation.
MONSIEUR BOUC: Male-identifying, Belgian Accent, 30s-60s; The director of the Compagnie Wagon
Lits that owns the Orient Express, he formerly worked for the Belgian police force with Poirot. He is a
good humored man, generous, proud, and an excellent host with a love of luxury and grandeur.
MARY DEBENHAM: Female-identifying, Standard British Accent, 20s-40s; Daisy Armstrong's
governess, Mary is capable yet romantic, and anxious about her journey on the Orient Express. There
is a sadness around her eyes. She clearly has a secret and an unknown relationship to Colonel
Arbuthnot.
HECTOR MACQUEEN: Male-identifying, American Accent, 20s-50s; Secretary and assistant to Samuel
Ratchett, tightly wound, edgy and nervous, always seems to be on the verge of falling apart.
MICHEL THE CONDUCTOR / HEAD WAITER: Male-identifying, 30s-50s,
French Accent; He is polite, hard-working, and happy to have a
good position on the Orient Express. Michel is eager to please.
HEAD WAITER: Turkish or French Accent; He is snooty, smooth, and a (phony) name dropper.
PRINCESS NATALYA DRAGOMIROFF: Female-identifying, Russian Accent, 40s-70s; She is royalty - with
a sweeping, impressive presence, who is intimidating and impatient. Everyone knows when she
enters the room.
GRETA OHLSSON: Female-identifying, Swedish Accent, 20s-40s; A missionary, she is very strict,
religiously devout, plain with a sheepish, almost frightened quality. Princess Dragomiroff is paying
her way in exchange for helping her on her journey.
COUNTESS ELENA ANDRENYI: Female-identifying, Hungarian Accent, 20s-40s; The sister of Sonia
Armstrong, she is beautifully and exquisitely dressed, like something out of a fairy tale, with a warmth
that wins over everyone she meets. Intelligent, her delicacy belies a steely edge; she is no wilting
flower.
MRS. HELEN HUBBARD: Female-identifying, American Accent, 40s-70s; Eccentric, bold, and outspoken
with a touch of flamboyance, she is from the American Midwest. She is jovial, deliciously nosy and
brash…often flirtatious. She can talk to anyone, even if they don’t want to listen.
COLONEL JAMES ARBUTHNOT / SAMUEL RATCHETT: Male-identifying, 30s-50s Scottish Accent; Handsome, very matter of fact, he clearly has a
secret and an unknown connection to Mary Debenham. He enjoys a sense of adventure that
the Orient Express provides. He takes charge when he needs to.●
SAMUEL RATCHETT: American Accent; A businessman with a gangster’s edge, he is evil at
heart and frightening. He has a stern demeanor with a pushy and domineering attitude.
DAISY ARMSTRONG: Female-identifying, American, 4-10 year old; Happy-go-lucky child who is the
victim of a murder. This role appears in stylized video footage and onstage as a ghost.
We are also looking for Non-AEA (Actor Equity Association) Understudies for this production.
