The Real Thing
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by: Tait Ruppert
The Play :
The play takes place in London in the 1980’s. It essentially revolves around the love between Henry (a playwright) and Annie (an actress).
When the play begins Henry is married to Charlotte and Annie is married to Max. Both partners soon divorce and the play concerns itself with the vagaries and mysteries of love and fidelity and…what it means to live a “real” and creative life.
The Characters :
Max – An actor. Around 30- 40 years old. He is a charming and what some might call a “simple” fellow. There is not the streak of cynicism in him that Henry has. He is very intelligent and unassertive. As is revealed in the first scene of the play (the play within the play) he is a strong comedic and passionate actor. English Accent.
Charlotte – Around 30-40 years old. She is an actress alongside Max in the play “House of Cards”. (“House of Cards” is the play that Henry has written). At the beginning of the play Charlotte is married to Henry and they have a daughter named Debbie. Charlotte is very witty and clever and can be rather sharp. Her fidelity to Henry is tenuous. English Accent.
Henry – Around 40 years old. Henry is a playwright. He is a bit self important but deservedly so. He is not a snob but his intellect shines through in a way that might be off putting. He is very witty and a brilliant writer. We see him struggle throughout the play with making sense of what is “real’ in love and art. English Accent.
Annie – 30 – 40 years old. She is an actress who is married to Max at the beginning of the play but has had an ongoing affair with Henry. She is, in many ways, the perfect foil to Henry and the wordplay between them is intoxicating. In addtion to being an actress she is championing the cause of a young, imprisoned soldier named Brodie. English Accent.
Debbie – Around 18 years old. Debbie is the somewhat rebellious daughter of Max and Charlotte. She is outspoken, youthful, intelligent and very funny. English Accent.
Billy – Around 22 years old. He is a charismatic actor who plays Giovanni to Annie’s Annabella in a production of Tis Pity She’s a Whore. He is very attracted to Annie. English Accent.
Brodie – Around 25 years old. He is a rebellious, rude and gruff Scottish soldier who is imprisoned for setting fire to a wreath at a War Memorial in London. Annie takes him up as a cause. Scottish Accent.
Audition Dates
March 8 and 9 at 7:30pm. Audition Sides and Character Breakdowns coming shortly.
Our current COVID policy – subject to revision
Audition Sides
Performance Dates
June 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 at 8:00 pm
June 11, 18 at 3:00 pm
Cue one passionate but never fully satisfying love affair between Henry and Annie. When their affair starts, Henry is already married to Charlotte and Annie is married to Max. Soon they both divorce their partners and marry each other. Themes of marriage, infidelity, and honesty are played out with a fresh and quick-witted comedic style. The play examines both the pain and passion that love can bring into peoples’ lives.