The Concealed Fancies
By Lady Cavendish and Lady Brackley, Adapted by Rachel Kohler
Directed by Rachel Kolher
Open Auditions: February 21-22 7:00pm-9:00pm In-Person callbacks: February 23 at 7:00pm Rehearsal Timeframe: February 28th - March 25th
Content Label: All Audiences
Evening Performances: March 26th at 7:30pm
Matinee Performances: March 27th at 2:30pm
Content Label: All Audiences
The Majestic Theatre (a division of the City of Corvallis Parks and Recreation department) is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and to creating a safe place for actors of all backgrounds to explore their craft. We are particularly eager to work with artists of color and other artists from marginalized communities. All auditions are free and open to the public. This audition is for an amateur, volunteer production. The Majestic Theatre staff and volunteers do not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, gender, ethnic background, ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or any protected class.
The Majestic Theatre COVID-19 risk mitigation policies will be in place for all auditions, rehearsals, and performances. For more information, go to majestic.org/covid-precautions
Auditions will be held in person at the Majestic Theatre. All participants aged twelve and over will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test from within the previous 48 hours before being allowed to enter. Please download and fill out our audition form located at tinyurl.com/MTAuditionForm and bring it with you to the audition. If you can’t, forms will be available at the audition.
A headshot will be requested to be posted with the cast list.
SHOW SYNOPSIS
The Concealed Fancies is a quick-witted romantic comedy with snappy dialogue and a duo of sassy, self-assured heroines. Two sisters are wooed by a pair of overly dramatic suitors, and while the young men are staying with them at their absent father’s manor, war breaks out and besieges the sisters, their lovers, and the household staff in the castle. While a ragtag band of soldiers and servants try to defend the grounds from invaders, the sisters try to keep from going stir-crazy and their suitors try to keep from going love-crazy.
FROM THE DIRECTOR Rachel Kohler
There’s a pervasive misconception that early modern theatre in England was almost exclusively a man’s game, but there were in fact women patronizing, attending, translating, and even occasionally appearing in theatrical activities during this period. Women were writing plays, too, although few of them were printed and so few survived. Although fairly formulaic in its period romantic comedy conventions, this play subverts genre in some notable ways, the most fundamental being that the sisters, Luceny and Tattiney, are unequivocally the protagonists. They open and close the play together as prologue and epilogue, and they are in complete control of every scene in which they appear. Although Concealed Fancies ends, as all proper comedies do, with a set of weddings and the happy couples being marched off to the altar, this proves to be a false ending when the sisters return to the stage to tell each other and the audience how they’ve been getting on with their new husbands. Even more surprising for a play of this period is that it passes the Bechdel test with an amusing scene featuring the bored daughters tearing through their father’s liquor cabinet with their chambermaid.
This play is not only charming and funny, it’s also a very important piece of our theatrical past. All too often, the voices of women are lost within the history of theatre, drowned out by the much louder and more numerous voices of men more successful by virtue of their position of relative power in gendered society. It’s probably not even occurred to most people that plays were being written by women this early on! As undeniably amazing as Shakespeare is, his work tends to drown out almost everyone else’s from this period, especially the small fraction of women. Lady Cavendish and Lady Brackley deserve a chance to be heard, too.
PREPARATION NOTES
You do NOT need to prepare a monologue or piece. Wear comfortable clothes to audition. Auditions will consist of semi-cold readings with other actors. Sides are pre-selected for your perusal and preparation here, and actors will be given time to go over their scenes before presenting them as part of the audition process.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
All characters do not have a specific race or ethnic background; many characters may be performed by actors of any gender presentation; and many characters do not have specific physical capabilities. We're therefore excited to see a diverse pool of actors audition for all roles.
LORD CALSINDOW
Character Age: 45-65
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Any
Character: Father to Luceny and Tattiney and lord of Bellamo Castle, a cultured gentleman who has seen to his daughters’ education.
LUCENY
Character Age: 20-26
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting
Ability/movement: Active for much of the play; kneels, may climb on boxes.
Character: The eldest daughter of Lord Calsindow, beloved by Courtley. Sassy, opinionated, self-assured, and highly educated.
TATTINEY
Character Age: 18-25
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting
Ability/movement: Active for much of the play; kneels, may climb on boxes.
Character: The youngest daughter of Lord Calsindow, beloved by Presumption. A little more subdued than her sister (but not by much).
COLONEL FREE
Character Age: 25-45
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: Cousin to the children of Lord Calsindow; a soldier, protecting the Calsindow estate with his men.
GRAVITY
Character Age: 25-45
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: The manor’s head cook, later mustered with the soldiers. Jovial but opinionated.
JACK
Character Age: 18-24
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: The cook’s boy, later mustered with the soldiers. Impertinent.
PERT
Character Age: 18-25
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Female-presenting
Ability/movement: Any
Character: Chambermaid and playmate to Luceny and Tattiney.
COURTLEY
Character Age: 18-26
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: A young gentleman, in love with Luceny. Overly dramatic and emo about his feelings. Seems to be of an equitable mindset when it comes to gender roles until he’s actually married.
PRESUMPTION
Character Age: 18-26
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: A young gentleman, in love with Tattiney. Seems to be a bit of an overbearing jerk when it comes to gender roles until he’s actually married, and then mellows out.
COMMADEIRA
Character Age: 25-55
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Active; participates in simple fight choreography.
Character: One of Colonel Free’s men, a vain, rich, wine-loving soldier, in love with Luceny.
LADY TRANQUILITY
Character Age: 30-65
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Any
Character: A widow, in love with Lord Calsindow, elder sister to Presumption. Moves and speaks with extreme flounce.
TOY
Character Age: 30-50
Character Race: Any
Character Ethnicity: Any
Desired Actor Gender: Any
Ability/movement: Any
Character: Lady Tranquility’s very competent and long-suffering lady-in-waiting. Has had a long-standing affair with Lord Calsindow.