CALL TO AUDITION:
NEXT TO GODLINESS
By ALASTAIR BROWN
“…there’s only one skill you need when it comes to killing, and that’s the willingness to do it.”
Erin and Sophia are crime-scene cleaners, but the people they work for are the ones doing the crimes. They’re paid well for disposing of evidence, especially on public holidays, but when one of the bodies they’re supposed to be collecting turns out to be inconveniently alive… it threatens to ruin everything. With few options available and even less time, the pair decide to outsource their problem to an enigmatic contractor named Ferryman, a decision they may come to regret. Meanwhile, the spirits of the dead are restless, and they have their own stories to tell.
Winner of the 2023 Silver Gull Award.
CREATIVE TEAM & CREW
Director Madeleine Withington
Associate Director Sonya Kerr
Costume Designer Lily Moody
PERFORMANCE DATES
Oct 6 – 31 2026
REHEARSALS
Rehearsals will start the week commencing Mon 27 Jul with a combination of weekdays, weekends and week evenings. Exact times and dates tbc, subject to cast availability.
AUDITIONS EOI
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 done using self-tape. Call-back auditions will be held at the theatre in person on Sun 19 and Tue 21 Jul. If you are unable to submit a self-tape, please email the Director at godlinessnt26@newtheatre.org.au 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
• Your audition piece: a two-minute contemporary monologue that reflects the tone of the script.
To submit your EOI and self-tape please complete the Google form linked here.
If you are unable to complete the form, please email the Director at godlinessnt26@newtheatre.org.au to arrange an alternative means of application.
Self-tape submissions close Wed 15 July, 10pm.
ROLES AVAILABLE
Erin – late 20’s to 30’s
A woman with tons of intelligence and self-confidence, but absolutely no follow-through. Erin’s main problem is that every thought that comes into her mind is immediately killed by her anticipation of the next. She has several unfinished degrees and no life plan whatsoever. Erin works as a cleaner for a criminal syndicate not because she needs to, but because she finds it fun and interesting.
Sophia – 60+
A woman in her later years, emotionally brittle and anxious due to the trauma of long-term domestic abuse, but nevertheless with a strong sense of self. Unhappily tethered to her recently invalided husband, Sophia’s work as a cleaner for a criminal syndicate pays the medical bills, but not much more. Sophia is rebuilding herself through the little freedom she’s been able to find, and she has been asking herself what she would be willing to do in order to get more.
Ferryman – 40’s-50’s
An advertising executive who lost her job in her middle-years and turned to contract killing as a new career. She speaks fluent business double-talk and represents the psychopathy at the core of modern capitalism. She has a good sense of humour and genuinely enjoys interacting with people, even if she does murder them shortly afterwards.
Businessman – 30+
A man who makes money. He comes from a wealthy family and yet believes firmly that he is a self-made man. In an effort to keep his business afloat and to pay his gambling debts, Businessman has taken out considerable loans with the sort of people who accept thumbs as collateral. He isn’t worried though, he is after all the centre of the universe.
Goon Number Seven – open age
A man who belongs in a high-concept crime thriller. An experienced killer, cunning, ruthless. Ordinarily he would be the most dangerous person in the room, if he wasn’t slowly bleeding out from a gut wound and almost completely incapacitated.
The Chorus – open age
Three beings that exist outside of human experience. Not ghosts exactly, but a form of unquiet dead, representatives of all who lost their lives through strife. The Chorus resent the still-living and take pleasure in witnessing their pain. They tell old stories from Greek mythology and match them to the living, hoping their tales will influence events, pushing them closer to tragedy.
Chorus 1 – The Manipulator
Chorus 2 – Blood On Teeth
Chorus 3 – Ancient Sage
Please note: The Chorus will be required to perform choreography. Dance or movement experience is desirable.
We very much encourage and welcome submissions from people who identify as First Nations, PoC, CaLD, queer and/or gender diverse.
PLEASE NOTE
New Theatre is community theatre company and a volunteer-based organisation – there is no for payment for this production.
If cast, you will be required to wash your own costumes, contribute to the show’s social media campaign and assist with production bump out.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Madeleine Withington is an award-winning creative who has been working on Gadigal land for over a decade. She graduated from Actor’s Centre Australia in 2014 and is passionate about creating theatre that welcomes everyone.
As Director: Crotchless (Katie Lees Fellowship); Bottle Blondes (Flight Path Theatre); Shakespeare in Love, Banging Denmark (New Theatre); The Children (Joining the Dots); The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) (Precipice Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Attractive, Not Model Attractive).
She wrote the short film Butter: A Love Story, which won Best Comedy at Flickerfest in 2023.