Member Article

Budding Darlington actors sought for national theatre company

A national touring theatre company, Paines Plough, is holding open auditions in Darlington on Thursday 28th September 2017, to find the very best of local talent.

Formed in 1974 over a pint of Paines bitter in the Plough pub, Paines Plough is the UK’s national theatre of new plays, which commissions and produces the best playwrights, touring their plays far and wide.

The London-based company has produced more than 170 new plays by world renowned playwrights like Stephen Jeffreys, Abi Morgan, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Dennis Kelly, Mike Bartlett and Kate Tempest.

With a jam-packed programme already in the pipeline for 2018, the company is looking to get ahead of the game and find the best talent in the North East. In a bid to find theatre’s next leading star, with no specific role in mind, Paines Plough is holding open auditions in Darlington to find performers over the age of 16, within a 30-mile radius of the town, that may not be able to afford to travel to London.

Promising thespians are asked to apply in pairs and complete an online submission form to secure a 10-minute audition slot on the day, held at The Forum Music Centre, Darlington. They are asked to prepare a three-minute duologue from a play written within the last 15 years, and bring along either a one-page CV or printout from their Spotlight page to show off their brilliant abilities.

This fantastic opportunity is just one of the ways Darlington’s theatre culture is being celebrated in 2017. The town recently played host to touring theatre company Wet Picnic, as it performed a live physical theatre show in the market square. Paines Plough will become the second national company to visit Darlington in the space of a few months. The company will become an integral part of Darlington’s Theatre Town, when it brings award-winning pop up auditorium Roundabout, to the area in the next coming months. Roundabout will feature three Paines Plough shows direct from sell out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Speaking on the exciting news, James Grieve, of Paines Plough, said: “We’re really excited to be bringing our work to Darlington, which is fast building a reputation as a theatre town of real importance and innovation. We can’t wait to meet local actors, and hopefully unearth some stars of the future”.

The deadline for registration for the auditions is 10am on Monday September 11th 2017.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harvey and Hugo .