Audition Notice

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, adapted by Kevin Cunningham

Directed by Nettie SHeridan

Sunday 18th February 2024, 6pm

For more information and audition pieces, please contact Nettie on nettesheridan@googlemail.com.

Production Dates

Saturday 4th May - Saturday 11th May 2024, with matinee performances on 4th, 5th and 11th May 2024.

Rehearsals

4 rehearsals a week commencing 24th March 2024, days to be confirmed.

About the Play

Little Women was originally published in 1868 and follows the lives of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood. Kevin Cunningham’s adaptation is a faithful and heartfelt adaptation of this literary favourite.

Living in Massachusetts in genteel poverty, the four sisters live with their mother, ‘Marmee’. Having lost all of his money, their father is serving as a chaplain for the Union Army in the American Civil War, far away from home. Marmee and the four girls face their first Christmas without him.

Meg and Jo must work to support the family: Meg tutors a nearby family of four children; Jo assists her aged great-aunt March, a wealthy widow; Beth, too timid for school is content to stay at home and help with housework and Amy is still in school.

The girls are kept very busy as the war continues …….

Little Women addresses three major themes; domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroines individual identity.

Actors auditioning for the sisters must be able to play convincingly as teenagers and all auditionees should be out of licensing restrictions.

Please note some of the smaller character parts may be doubled.

Auditionees should be able to demonstrate a general American accent. The actors auditioning for Bhaer should be required to speak English with a German accent. (A voice coach will be available during the production development process).

All cast must be able to ‘move’ ….and will be required to move set pieces / furniture.

Auditionees for Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, Louisa May Alcott  will be required to sing a rhyme in round at audition – details of this will be given via email prior to audition.

BLT actively encourages auditionees from ethnic minority communities and any of the below parts could be played by any race.

You do not have to be a member of the company to audition, but if you are cast you must join.

Characters

Louisa May Alcott - The author - starting to succumb to illness contracted during the Civil War. Likely to take some stage management duties. Will be on stage for a considerable amount of the play. Early 30’s.

Thomas Niles Jr - Business partner at Robert’s and Louisa’s editor.  Lovely part for someone seeking a smaller role. (Could double). Late 30’s – early 40’s.

Margaret ‘Meg’ March - The responsible, traditional, beautiful no nonsense eldest daughter who helps run the household.  She also has a dreamy romantic side and a love of elegance. to mid 20’s

Josephine ‘Jo’ March - Feisty, bold, outspoken, brave, loyal, principled. A dreamer and scribbler, always absorbed in reading and writing – filling pages with stories and plays. She is also the author’s alter ego. to mid 20’s

Elizabeth ‘Beth’ March - Sickly, angelic helper and peacemaker – incredibly shy. Grateful for what she has, sweet, sensitive and incredibly kind. Note: Beth plays piano – actors will not be required to be able to play. to mid 20’s

Amy Curtis March - Tempestuous, self-important, materialist youngest child – artist who longs for elegance and fine society, Youngest child seems to be indulged by Marmee, Meg and Beth – Jo, however, keeps her in check. Prone to melodrama and selfishness. to mid 20’s.

Marmee (Mother) - Independent, caring, morally outspoken mother and role model for the Little Women. A noble looking, though plain clothed kind looking woman. 40-50.

Hannah Mullet  - Long time family servant – maid and cook. (more a friend than a servant) of the March family. Has been in the household since the birth of Meg. She’s jolly and of Irish decent. Likely to take on some stage management duties as well. 40+

Laurie (Theodore Laurence) - The young, lonely ‘boy next door’ – cheeky, smart, charming – raised to be a gentleman. Mischievous and self-indulgent. Has always grown up with wealth and privilege. To Late 20’s.

John Brooke - A hardworking, orphaned young man who is forced to take a job as Laurie’s tutor in order to support himself. Later he becomes Meg’s suitor. 30-40.

Mr Laurence - Laurie’s grandfather, wealthy, compassionate, thoughtful, a little crabby sometimes. Has a very special liking of the March girls (could double). 45+.

Mr Davis/Dr Bangs/Friedrich Bhaer - Amy’s discipline heavy schoolteacher/Local physician attending on the family/German professor – Jo meets him in New York. (One actor plays all three of these super character parts – Prof Bhaer has a German accent). 30-40.

Aunt March - Mr March’s well to do but busy body sister. Rich widow, crochety and difficult. 45-60.