Noises Off
by Fredericksburg Theater Company (FTC)
Aug. 15 - Aug. 16 (2016)
Noises Off, a British farce about putting on a farce, provides humorous insight into the onstage and offstage challenges of producing a play. What’s a farce? Noises Off is a superb example: a high-energy comedic romp involving highly improbable events, impeccable timing, misunderstandings and mistaken identities.
Structured in three acts, the play’s first act introduces the cast and crew of Nothing On, the play within Noises Off. The night before opening, the actors are struggling to get their entrances and exits and innumerable plates of sardines in the right place at the right time. The late hour and increasing tensions begin to reveal the fraught interpersonal relationships between the characters. The first act leaves you wondering: will they get it right before opening night?
In a dramatic transformation of space, the second act of Noises Off takes place backstage during a midweek matinee of Nothing On. The show has been touring for a month and the actors’ dysfunctional relationships are starting to take their toll on the production. The final act takes place during the closing night performance of Nothing On. The play and the characters’ relationships are barely holding together. Mishap after mishap piles up as the characters attempt to untangle the disastrous performance and arrive at some sort of rational, salvageable end.
Auditions for FTC’s production of Noises Off will be held Monday and Tuesday, August 15 & 16 at 7 pm at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater, located at 1668 U.S. Highway 87 South in Fredericksburg. There are 4 female roles and 5 male roles. All roles are available for auditions. Everyone is welcome to attend both audition sessions, but it is not mandatory. At auditions we will be reading scenes from the script. Perusal copies of the script will be available to check out from the FTC Box Office starting Monday, July 18. The cast will be announced by Saturday, August 20 by email and posted on FTC’s Facebook page.
Rehearsals: The first full cast meeting is Monday, August 22 at 7 pm at the theatre. Information, scripts and a detailed rehearsal schedule will be distributed at this meeting. From August 22 to September 28 rehearsals will be scheduled on weeknights at 7 pm.
NOTE: The rehearsal schedule will specify which characters need to be at each rehearsal. If extra rehearsals are called for Saturdays or Sundays, or before 7 pm on weeknights, advance notice will be given.
October 3-7 and October 10-12 are Technical/Dress Rehearsals. Attendance at these rehearsals is mandatory for the entire cast and crew.
Performances for Noises Off are Thursday, October 13 (Preview) and Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays, October 14-30. Attendance at all performances is mandatory.
NOISES OFF CAST
TIMOTHY ALLGOOD: An overworked stage manager, carpenter and anything else that needs to be done for the touring production of Nothing On. He is chronically exhausted and sleep-deprived. He understudies the roles played by Selsdon and Freddy.
BROOKE ASHTON: Cast in the role of Vicki in Nothing On, Brooke is a young, inexperienced actress often in search of a missing contact lens. She is part of a love triangle with Lloyd and Poppy.
BELINDA BLAIR: A reliable, good-natured actress who is protective of Freddy. She plays Flavia Brent in Nothing On.
LLOYD DALLAS: The director of Nothing On. He is a temperamental, yet charismatic man, and part of the love triangle with Poppy and Brooke.
FREDERICK (FREDDY) FELLOWES: An insecure, overthinking actor who gets a nosebleed at the first hint of violence and needs to know his motivation. He is double-cast in Nothing On as both Philip Brent and the Sheikh.
GARRY LEJEUNE: Cast in the role of Roger Tramplemain the estate agent, Garry often leaves thoughts dangling and doesn’t finish his sentences. His romantic interest in Dotty drives him to repeatedly attack Freddy.
SELSDON MOWBRAY: An elderly overly dramatic actor with an inconvenient drinking problem.
POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR: As the assistant stage manager for Nothing On, Poppy is emotional and prone to outbursts. She is also Brooke’s understudy, which further complicates the Lloyd-Poppy-Brooke love triangle.
DOTTY OTLEY: A late-middle-aged actress cast in the role of Mrs. Clackett. She is very forgetful, but mostly good-natured.
PLOT SUMMARY of NOTHING ON, the play within NOISES OFF:
Nothing On, the play within Noises Off, is a standard silly British bedroom farce. Roger Tramplemain, the estate agent in charge of renting the Brent’s lovely country house, has invited Vicki for a romantic rendezvous. Roger Tramplemain claims that the house is his own and believes that it will be empty. Whoops – it is anything but! Mrs. Clackett, the housekeeper, is planning to spend her afternoon off at the house relaxing, eating sardines and watching television. Then, the owners, Philip and Flavia Brent, secretly return to have their own mischievous romantic rendezvous – they’re not supposed to be in the country because they are avoiding paying their taxes. The two couples narrowly miss running into each other several times. The final moments reveal even more surprise guests: an elderly burglar and a wealthy sheikh who is interested in renting the property. Dare we say it? Hilarity ensues! Much of the humor of Nothing On is sparked by mistaken identities, the slamming of doors, and sexual innuendo.
NOTHING ON CAST:
MRS. CLACKETT (played by Dotty Otely): The housekeeper for the Brent’s home.
ROGER TRAMPLEMAIN (played by Garry Lejeune): An estate agent looking to rent Flavia and Philip’s house, on a date with Vicki.
VICKI (played by Brooke Ashton): Works for the tax authorities and is on a date with Roger.
PHILIP AND FLAVIA BRENT (played by Frederick Fellowes and Belinda Blair): Husband and wife owners of the country home; they live out of the country in order to avoid paying taxes. They are secretly visiting their home for their anniversary.
BURGLAR (played by Selsdon Mowbray): Elderly man breaking into the Brent’s house.
SHEIKH (played by Frederick Fellowes): A wealthy Arab man interested in renting the house.
About the Fredericksburg Theater Company: The mission of the Fredericksburg Theater Company (FTC) is “to provide superior theatrical programs for regional participation which entertain, educate, enrich and inspire.” Formed in 1997 by Jeryl Hoover, the theater has grown to an audience of over 13,000 annually. All performances are held at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater. FTC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It has received statewide recognition from the Texas Nonprofit Theatres as well as grants from various arts endowment organizations.
For further information please contact Executive Director Steve Reily at the theater office by calling 888-669-7114 or email at fbgtheaterco@verizon.net.
