Category Archives: Auditions

The Drama Workshop announces AUDITIONS for THE LION IN WINTER

Written by James Goldman
Directed Francis Rtm Boyle
Produced by Dennis Murphy

Auditions will be May 9 & 10, 2016, at The Glenmore Playhouse, 3716 Glenmore Ave, Cheviot, OH 45211. Doors will open at 6:30pm, and auditions will begin promptly at 7pm. Actors are asked to bring a resume and headshot, Auditions will run no later than 9 pm, and may end earlier. Updates will be posted here and on the TDW Facebook page.

The director is seeking seven actors. Auditions will consist of a one minute prepared MONOLOGUE and COLD READINGS from the script.

Please bring conflict information for the rehearsal period: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, beginning August 15 through the run.

Show dates are October 7, 2016 through October 23, 2016. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 pm, Sunday afternoon at 2 pm.

Note: Non-Traditional Casting will be considered.

• Henry II, King of England (Male, stage age 50’s) – Though aging, Henry is still very nearly as vital as he ever was. His manipulations of family and others are portrayed as spontaneous and emotional as opposed to the well-thought-out stratagems of Eleanor, and the cold, calculating machinations of Geoffrey. 
• Queen Eleanor (Female, stage age 61) – Eleanor is the wife of Henry and a beautiful woman of great temperament, authority and presence. She has been a queen for nearly 46 years and is thoroughly capable of holding her own in a man’s world. She schemes against Henry and intensely loves him at the same time. She has contempt for her children but is not willing to see them harmed. 
• John (Male, stage age 16) – He is the youngest son of Henry and Eleanor. He is sulky and sullen, with a boyish outlook on his position; many in the play describe him as a spoiled brat. He is described in the play as pimply and smelling of compost. He is Henry’s favorite, but also the weakest. He constantly vacillates throughout the play, not out of cleverness, but out of fear and weakness. He is easily tricked and manipulated by Geoffrey. 
• Geoffrey (Male, stage age 25) – He is a son of Henry and Eleanor, and a man of energy and action. He is attractive, charming and the “brains” of the family; he is also a cold, amoral schemer. His view of himself is of one who yearned greatly for the love of his parents while receiving none. Yet, the play leaves open to question whether any of Henry’s three sons should be thought to have been truly loved by either Henry or Eleanor and not merely used by King and Queen as pawns in their ceaseless scheming against one another. 
• Richard the Lionheart (Male, stage age 26) – The third, and eldest surviving, son of Henry and Eleanor, their second son, Henry, having recently died. Richard is handsome, graceful and impressive and has been a famous soldier since his middle teens. War is his profession and he is good at it. He is easily the strongest and toughest of the three sons/princes. Richard and Philip Capet have been sexually involved prior to the action of the play. However, Philip declares that he participated in the affair purely for political purposes, whereas Richard indicates he had genuine affection for Philip. 
• Alais Capet (Female, stage age 23) – She is beautiful and in love with Henry. Everyone underestimates her intellect and power. She is initially portrayed as innocent, but by the end of the play has begun to acquire a ruthless streak of her own, insisting that Henry imprison his three sons for the rest of their lives in the dungeon. She is Philip’s sister. 
• Philip II, King of France (Male, stage age 18) – He has been King of France for just three years. He is not initially as accomplished as Henry in manipulating people, but seems to acquire greater skills at this during the play. He is impressive and handsome without being pretty.IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THE SCRIPT BEFORE AUDITIONS. Copies available upon request.