Auditions for "A is for Arsenic"
The Rangiora Players will be presenting A is for Arsenic by David Pemberton, to be presented at the Rangiora Players Little Theatre for a season beginning Saturday 14th November, 2026.
The production is being directed by Marshall Duff.
Synopsis
"A small group of aspiring crime writers meet every week under the critical eye of their course tutor - a successful author who is always daring them to better him. When one writer decides to take up his challenge, it provokes a chain of consequences straight from the pages of a crime novel."
Script
The script is on the web, and, as an auditionee, we'd encourage you to read it. Note if you are theatre-going public, please, don't click the link, there be spoilers!!! Link to the script (Opens in new tab or window)
Roles Required
We are seeking actors as follows:
| Character Name | Sex | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brian | M | an insurance salesman |
| Fay | F | a housewife |
| Jan | F | a social worker |
| Sally | F | a yoga teacher |
| Stan | M | an IT consultant |
| Trevor | M | tutor of the crime-writers' group |
Neither the script nor the Director have imposed any age restrictions, so the age ranges are totally open.
Production Key Dates
| Auditions | Commence weekend of Sun 21st Jun 2026 |
| Readthrough | Weekend of Sun 5th Jul 2026 |
| Memberships due | Sun 27th Sep 2026 |
| Publicity photo weekend | Weekend of Sun 20th Sep 2026 (provisional) |
| Cast and Director programme bios due | Sun 18th Oct 2026 |
| Production week | Commences Sun 8th Nov 2026 |
| Dress rehearsals | Sun 8th Nov 2026, two complete runs Tue 10th Nov 2026, complete run as show Thu 12th Nov 2026, complete run as show |
| Performances | Opening night is Sat 14th Nov 2026 Top-up rehearsal Mon 16th Nov 2026 The show then runs Wednesday to Saturday November 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, then November 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th Evening performances are 6:30pm call for 7:30 performance. Matinee performances on Saturday November 21st and November 28th with a 1:30pm call for a 2:30pm performance. Reserve dates for additional performances: 16thand 23rd Note: There will only be additional performances on the reserved dates if there is sufficient demand for tickets. The decision to extend will have at least a couple of weeks notice. |
Rehearsals will, as far as possible, be arranged around availability.
Audition Process
Auditions will be held at the Rangiora Players Little Theatre, which is located at Northbrook Studios, Northbrook Road, Rangiora.
You need to book an audition slot, details below.
The Rangiora Players pride themselves on an open and transparent audition process. There are no preselections for roles, no favouritism techniques, and no instructions are given to the Director or other members of the audition panel to suggest who would be "right for the role" to suit club politics. Anyone can audition with complete confidence that they will be considered on their merits.
How to Apply
Please phone David on 028 255 89637 (yes, there are more digits than usual in that number) to book a time and date; if you are greeted by the answerphone, don't be shy, leave a message, and David will get back to you.At the Audition, you'll need to have an Audition Sheet, and be photographed.
You can pick up and fill in an Audition Sheet at the audition, however we recommend that you print out the sheet yourself, and you can then think about it in your own time, without being rushed, and then please do remember to bring it with you. And please print clearly, we need to be able to read the sheet to contact you.
Please print out this form audition_sheet.pdf (PDF, 60K) fill it in, and bring it with you to the audition.
Important
Whether you fill the sheet out at your leisure, or on the day, we would like to bring particular attention to the section at the bottom, regarding your availability. Please think really, really hard about your availability, and fill in the section as truthfully and as completely as possible. We reserve the right (and indeed have done so) to replace cast if they suddenly "discover" part way through the production a prebooked holiday that would disrupt the schedule.
We really do expect all cast to act in a professional manner and turn up for scheduled rehearsals every time, except where there is a pre-booked exception as noted in the audition sheet. Obviously, we make exceptions for unforeseen emergencies, but this is very much the exception, not the rule.
Also...
We often ask cast members to get involved with activities other than rehearsals, primarily around publicity activities, such as handing out flyers on a Saturday morning, possibly in costume, making themselves available for interview with press etc, and publicity photography, and also in preparing the theatre for the production. This stuff is usually actually quite fun, so please try to make yourself available for such activities.
Membership of the Rangiora Players
Those auditionees who are cast into the Production are required to become members of the Rangiora Players. The subscription is $20, with a junior membership subscription of $10 available to those who are under 18 years old.
Membership must be paid in full by the due date. Payment can be made preferably by electronic banking transfer, details for which will be provided, or EFTPOS, or Visa / Mastercard / American Express / PayWave / Google Pay / Apple pay. Please, no cash.
Crew
We may have openings for crew for this production, and if you would like to be considered, please give us a call on the number above, or use the contact form at the bottom of the page.
