CALL TO AUDITION:

IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY)

BY SARAH RUHL

“A flick of the finger – On, off, on off! We shall be like gods!”

In the spa town of Saratoga Springs, shortly after the end of the American Civil War and at the dawn of the electrical age, general practitioner Dr Givings specialises in gynecological disorders.

His revolutionary treatment for women suffering from ‘hysteria’ involves a ‘massage device’ that produces a ‘paroxysm’.

Lonely and sexually frustrated, his young wife Catherine befriends one of her husband’s patients, becoming increasingly fascinated by the electrical-powered instruments and strange sounds ‘in the next room’.

This clever, funny, provocative play throws a feminist light on the emotional and physical neglect endured by women in a male-dominated society.

“This brilliant play is, to put it mildly, an eye-opener!” The Guardian

CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
Director Emma Whitehead

PERFORMANCE DATES
23 April to 17 May 2025

REHEARSALS
Rehearsals will commence towards the end of February with a combination of weekend days, week evenings and possibly weekdays. Exact times and dates tbc, subject to cast availability.

AUDITIONS
It is essential to read the script BEFORE applying. There is a perusal copy of the script available for viewing here.

The initial round of auditions will be via self-tape. Call-back auditions will be held at the theatre in person after self-tape submissions close, exact dates tbc. If you are unable to submit a self-tape, please email the Director at roomnt2025@gmail.com to arrange an alternative means of audition.

Your filmed audition should include:
•   A very brief self-introduction, including your name
•   A brief introduction to your chosen audition piece. Audition monologue texts can be found here.
•   One or two versions of your chosen monologue.
•   A sung verse of either a lullaby or hymn (those applying for the role of MRS CATHERINE GIVINGS only).

Once you have captured your audition, upload it as either a private and password-protected Vimeo or a YouTube video using the password ‘Room25’ and email the link with the below information to roomnt2025@gmail.com.

In your email, please:
•   Include an up-to-date headshot and CV
•   Indicate which role/roles you are interested in
•   Indicate if you are currently a New Theatre member
•   Indicate your rehearsal availability (days and/or evenings)

Self-tape submissions close 5pm Wed 5 Feb 25, although earlier submissions are encouraged.

ROLES AVAILABLE
Please consider applying for any role you believe you can portray effectively regardless of ethnicity and age. Except for the role of Elizabeth, all roles are flexible in this regard.

American accents relevant to the 1880s will be required for all roles, as well as a strong sense of comic timing.

Dr. Givings: (Male, 40s) A specialist in gynaecological and hysterical disorders, has developed state of the art treatment using the Chattanooga Vibrator. Professional and patient, but methodical and unfeeling. Loves his wife but is oblivious to her needs.
Mrs Catherine Givings: (Female, late 20s) Dr Givings’s wife. A struggling new mother. Bubbly but naïve and often speaks without thinking. Increasingly looking for more joy in her life, and curious about what is happening in the other room. Sings.
Mrs Sabrina Daldry: (Female, early 30s) Dr Givings’s patient. Mr Daldry’s wife, childless. Starts off sensitive to everything, given to weeping. Has a great deal of treatment … and finds reasons to have more. Plays piano.
Mr. Dick Daldry: (Male, 40-50s) Sabrina Daldry’s husband. Has a stiff upper lip and is desperate to awaken his wife’s mojo. Takes too keen an interest in Mrs Givings’s friendship.
Annie: (Female, late 30s) Dr. Givings’s midwifery assistant. Unmarried. Professional, kind, and hard working. Almost ever-present and often communicates to the audience more by physical action and mood than words. Has a connection with Mrs Daldry.
Elizabeth: (Female, early 30s) An African American woman, married and recently bereaved of her young child which has led to her loss of faith. Works in the Daldry household but takes an extra job as the Givings’s wet nurse. A serious role and a voice of dignity.
Mr Leo Irving: (Male, 20-30s) Dr. Givings’s other patient, an Englishman and an artist just back from a year studying in Florence, requiring treatment due to the shock of his Italian girlfriend ghosting him. A potential love interest of Mrs Givings’.

We very much encourage and welcome submissions from people who identify as First Nations, PoC, CaLD, queer and/or gender diverse. We also welcome actors with disability, and actors who are neurodivergent.

PLEASE NOTE
New Theatre an amateur theatre company and a volunteer-based organisation and there is no for payment for this production.

If cast, you will be required to wash your own costumes and be prepared to assist with production bump in and out.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Emma (she/her) is a theatre maker, director, and creative producer from London, grateful to be sharing stories on the unceded land of the Gadigal people. She is the artistic director of experimental company Lost Thought (@lost_thought_arts).

Emma works with theatre, movement, opera, interactive work, and durational performance. She is a graduate of NIDA’s MFA Directing course and the University of Warwick’s devised theatre and performance laboratory. Emma takes an international view of society and the arts, having grown up in one of the most multicultural communities in the world.

In 2024, she developed two new performance works at The Ethics Centre during a two-week residency, and in 2023 she developed an interactive promenade experiment called YAMA with Atharv Kolhatkar as part of KXT/bAKEHOUSE’s Vault residency.

Lost Thought’s debut shows at Sydney Fringe Festival 2023 were both nominated for ‘Best in Genre’ awards: in/finite SOL., a live devising performance lasting 12 hours (finalist), and One Who Wants To Cross, her new ensemble adaptation of a French monologue about the global refugee and migrant crisis.

Recent projects include criminal justice drama Shook (Qtopia Sydney), doxing thriller The Dragonfly (Old Fitz), lyrical adaptation One Who Wants To Cross (Flight Path Theatre), site specific opera Track Works (Mortuary Station), dark comedy The Chocolate Roster (New Theatre), rehabilitation drama SIMPLE by Maeve Hook (Radical Acts, Theatre Works Melbourne), eco-magical jaunt Trash Wizard (KXT Storytellers) and immersive promenade epics SOL. (NIDA) and in/finite SOL. (Sideshow Attic).

Upcoming projects in 2025 include durational installation The Juliet Cycle, and dark comedy First, Do No Harm.