Blackadder

By Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd
Script adapted by David Stacey & David Wembridge
Directed by Nicky Allpress

Synopsis: The production takes the form of a lecture given by leading Historian ‘Prof Christopher Starkers’, with an episode from each of the four series (2 in each ‘act’) interweaved into the action as he describes various periods in British history. Designed by Victoria Spearing, Nicky is really excited to get started on her first production at South Hill Park.

Casting/auditions: 
Sunday 11th June (10am-4pm) and Monday 12th June (7pm-10pm)

Sunday morning can be split into individual / pair / group audition slots if you’d like to come along with someone else. Please contact Nicky on 07887 878784, at Facebook or by email (allpressnix@nullme.com) if you’d like to book a 10 minute slot between 10am and 1pm. You can prepare a short 2-3 minute scene from any of the episodes if you like (contact me if you need text), or a short monologue of your choice. Sunday from 2-4 will take the form of a group audition / recall so please keep that free if you can.

Show dates: Wednesday 11th October – Sunday 15th October 2017 (4 performance nights, 7.45pm subject to ticket sales + plus matinee performances on the weekend). Cast would need to be available for the whole week 7-11 October for full runs tech, dress etc including weekends.

Location: Wilde Theatre, South Hill Park

Rehearsals: Rehearsals will take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with the frequency depending on the size of your role. Please get in touch with Nicky if you’d like to find out more, or to express your interest.

Notes about the play:
The production will use edited versions of the television script from the following episodes:
Series 1 ‘The Queen of Spain’s Beard’
Series 2 ‘Beer’
Series 3 ‘Duel & Duality’
Series 4 ‘Private Plane’

Characters:
The overall production covers four television episodes, so includes a lot of characters! ‘Multiroling’ will be necessary for a lot of the cast. We are not necessarily planning to cast actors who look like the original television cast. This is a community production.

Core characters played by same actor throughout:

1. The TV Historian Prof. Christopher Starkers
   Playing age 25-65, any gender!
2. Edmund Blackadder
   Lead role lots of lines / rehearsals
3. Baldrick
   Lead role lots of lines / rehearsals
4. Lord Percy Percy / Captain K. Darling (Acts 1,2 & 4)
   Possible shared role but will increase lines / rehearsals

Characters that can be multi-roled:

1. King Richard IV (Act 1)
2. Harry, Prince of Wales (Act 1)
3. Queen to Richard IV (Act 1)
4. The Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain (Act 1)
5. Don Speekingleesh – an Interpreter (Act 1)
6. Lord Chiswick (Act 1)
7. Messenger (Act 1)
8. Archbishop (Act 1)
9. Princess Leia – a 10-year old princess (Act 1)
10. Lord Melchett (Act 2)
11. Lady Whiteadder (Act 2)
12. Lord Whiteadder (Act 2)
13. Piddle – a lord (Act 2)
14. Simon Partridge – a lord (Act 2)
15. Frobisher – a monk (Act 2)
16. Nursie (Act 2)
17. Queen Elizabeth I (Queenie) (Act 2)
18. George, Prince Regent (Act 3)
19. Mrs Miggins (Act 3)
20. The Duke of Wellington (Act 3)
21. King George III (Act 3)
22. General Melchett (Act 4)
23. Lieutenant George (Act 4)
24. Baron von Richthoven – the Red Baron (Act 4)
25. Oberleutenant von Gerhart (Act 4)
26. Bob Parkhurst, a driver (Act 4)
27. Squadron Commander Lord Flashheart (Act 4)

Non-speaking parts:
Lord Wessex and other Lords (Act 1)
Ladies of the Court (Act 1)
Soldiers x2 (Act 3)
Soldiers x3 (Act 4)

Background:
Blackadder was a television comedy show originally broadcast in the 1980s. Four series were made, each set in a different historical period (medieval, Elizabethan, Regency and WW1). Each episode was about 25 minutes long. The stories revolved around the scheming, luckless Edmund Blackadder and his stupid side-kick Baldric. The shows featured Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time, after Only Fools and Horses.

The scripts:
The original scripts were written by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton, and produced by John Lloyd. These television scripts are available as a book, but a stage adaptation has not been published. In producing a version for the stage, we have taken one script from each of the four series and edited them, adding some additional material to help the narrative, and basic stage directions.
Rights approved by Richard Curtis and the BBC.