Canberra REP produces six shows each calendar year for which we hold open auditions.
If you have any questions please email auditions[@]canberrarep.org.au or call (02) 6257 1950 or (02) 6247 4222.
dates subject to change*
Upcoming auditions for REP productions:
Mr Bennet's Bride — 24 + 25 June — CLICK TO SCROLL FOR DETAILS + BOOKINGS
Mr Bennet's Bride by Emma Wood
Directed by Aarne Neeme
Performance Dates
Preview: 7 September 2023
Season: 8–23 September 2023
Rehearsals: Expected to start on 21 July 2023, rehearsals will be Friday evenings 7–10pm, Saturdays 9am–5pm, and Sundays 9am–4pm. Extra rehearsals will be scheduled closer to the production dates.
Auditions
Auditions: 9am–5pm Saturday 24 June, and 9am–4pm Sunday 25 June 2023.
Call-backs: TBC
Location: Guide Hall, Newman Street, Yarralumla.
Requirements: Auditions will be in individual 20-minute slots. Auditionees should prepare a 3–5 minute monologue, of their own choosing, to show their skills and range. They may also be asked to read a scene from the play depending on what more the director wants to know about them. Auditionees will be given time to look through the scene before reading, though familiarity with the script will be useful.
Scripts: Available from Canberra REP Theatre during business hours — Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (closed public holidays). Physical scripts are available for deposit of $5 cash which is refundable on return of the script, either at audition or within two weeks after the audition dates. Please let us know if you are unable to get in during those hours and we will look at alternate collection options.
Bookings: Send an email with your name, contact details and the role/s you are interested in to auditions@canberrarep.org.au or call 6257 1950 or 6247 4222.
Summary
In country England, 25 years before Pride and Prejudice, the convoluted landscape of family loyalties and social expectations makes marriage frustratingly necessary. Still, Mr Bennet is determined to choose a wife on his own terms—a decision he may come to repent for many long years! This prequel you’ve always wanted reveals a backstory for Austen’s greatly-loved, but ill matched, Mr and Mrs Bennet.
Characters
Auditioning 6 female and 4 male roles. Noting ages provided are indicative only.
Robert Bennet: 55-60, the Master of Longbourn, has never recovered from being widowed early in life.
James Bennet: 28, mischievous and highly intelligent, adept at play-acting to avoid responsibilities.
Mary Ellingworth: Decent, caring and considerate, burdened by having been widowed early in life and helping raise James in lieu of any children of her own.
Benedict Collins: Abrasive, over-familiar, self-important, greedy, he carries a strong resentment for Robert.
Mrs Graves: 50-70, the housekeeper, clever, good-humoured, her service to the family has earned her familiarity and respect.
George Gardiner: 45-50, attorney-at-law., highly intelligent, knows how to operate socially, ambitious for further status.
Sarah Gardiner: 40-45, attractive, likable, but superficial, spoils her daughter, easily excited by: money, young men, status, fashion, etc.
Emily Gardiner: 17, striking, with an irrepressible spirit coupled with a lack of modesty, flirtatious and superficial in her judgments.
Mrs Bowman: 40s, a pleasantly-natured woman, excitable in company, eager to make a good match for her daughter.
Clara Bowman: 20, a serious and sensitive young woman, not particularly pretty but has a great deal of intelligence and dignity.
