The Unexpected Guest

Agatha Christie; Directed by Deb Topka

Stranded on a foggy evening, a stranger enters a house to find a man murdered and his wife standing over him with a gun. Her dazed confession seems unconvincing, so the unexpected guest helps her frame a vengeful enemy from the past. Just when it seems this plan has worked, the police discover that the suspected murderer died two years ago. As the secrets and lies of the household unfold, who the real murderer is becomes the biggest mystery of all.

Auditions

• Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 7:00 PM
• Monday, July 15, 2019 at 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM - Callbacks by invitation only

You only need to attend one of the above audition sessions in order to be considered. No appointments are necessary. You should plan to spend about 2 hours at the theater for auditions (perhaps a little more or less, depending on turnout).
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Headshot and resume are not required.

If you have any questions about auditions, you may e-mail the director, Deb Topka, at zdtopka@gmail.com.

Cast requirements:
Number of Women: 3-4 ages 30 - 80
Number of Men: 5-6 ages 19 - 65

Character Descriptions:

Richard Warwick - Male - early 40s to early 50s - murder victim/deceased. We discover that Richard was a cruel, hard-drinking former big-game hunter now confined to a wheelchair. This role will most likely be doubled by another actor since Richard's back is to the audience the entire time he is on stage, and he has no lines.

Laura Warwick - Female - 30s - wife of Richard. She is found with a gun in her hand and confesses to killing Richard. Later discovered that she is in a secret relationship with Julian.

Michael Starkwedder - Male, mid to late 30s - The Unexpected Guest. He enters the Warwick home and plots with Laura to blame the murder on a person from Richard's past as an act of revenge. Says he is an engineer newly arrived in England after working in Abadan, Iran, for an oil company.

Miss Bennett "Benny" - Female - 50s - the very efficient, loyal household secretary. Organized, alert, and nosey. She organizes the home and helps take care of Jan.

Jan Warwick - Male - 18-20 - Richard's half-brother. He is socially/emotionally challenged and quite childlike in his behavior. He has decided that Richard's death makes him the man of the house, and he tries to assert himself in unexpected ways.

Mrs. Warwick - Female - 70s to 80s - Richard's mother. She loved Richard but was not blind to his many faults. Although she walks with a cane, she is an alert and commanding older woman with an obviously strong personality.

Henry Angell - Male - late 40s to early 50s - Richard's medical attendant and valet. He sees things and chooses to use them to his advantage rather than telling the police.

Sergeant Cadwallader - Male or Female - 20s to 30s - assistant to Inspector Thomas. A somewhat unobservant, poetry-scribbling policeman. Chases a suspect and gets shot in the hand.

Inspector Thomas - Male - 40s to early 60s - the policeman in charge of the murder inquiry. He is poker faced and drily sarcastic.

Julian Farrar - Male - late 30s to early 40s - a neighbor of the Warwicks and a retired major who is running for Parliament. We discover that he is in a secret relationship with Laura.

Please Note: The action of the play takes place in in South Wales near the Bristol Channel. British accents will be encouraged at auditions; however, the director may decide to eliminate accents from the production if they prove to be challenging or distract from the plot.

Rehearsals for The Unexpected Guest will be on Sunday afternoons at 2pm, and Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7pm. Tech rehearsals will be held on Sunday October 13th (12pm), and October 14,15, & 16 (6pm). Please bring a list of any conflicts you may have to auditions.

Performances

Coming October 18th

October 2019
Su	M	T	W	Th	Fri	Sat
13	14	15	16	17	18 8:00 pm	19 8:00 pm
20	21	22	23	24	25 8:00 pm	26 8:00 pm
27 2:00 pm	28	29	30	31
November 2019
					1 8:00 pm	2 8:00 pm

Tickets have not yet gone on-sale for this show.

Staff
Director		Deb Topka
Consulting Director		Glen Eric Reed
Producer		Stephanie Kupski
Stage Manager		Tracy Bell
Costume Designer		Michele Murphy
Set Designer		Glen Eric Reed

« Previous: Snow White • Next: Godspell »