Church Hill, Maryland – The Hostage, by Brendan Behan, set in a bawdy boarding house in mid-20th century Dublin is coming to the Church Hill Theatre stage. A refuge where one-time Irish revolutionaries relive past glories and air grievances, the “house” becomes the logical setting for the unfolding of an IRA plot to exchange a callow British conscript – the Hostage – for an IRA youth sentence to be hanged in a Belfast jail. The IRA’s plot and the lives of the denizens in the “house” force everyone to struggle with their value systems, from morality and religion to honor and loyalty as they collide with life, love and hate. Production dates at CHT are November 2 through 18, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 8, Sundays at 2.
The Hostage has excellent roles for men and women, bringing to life the traditions of “the common man/woman” in British theater from Shakespeare to Pinter. Behan lays bare the joy, sorrow and undeniable humor that are at the core of life’s deepest values.
Auditions on the Church Hill Theatre main stage will be held on:
– Thursday, July 26 at 6:00 pm
– Saturday, July 28 at 11:00 am
– Tuesday, July 31 at 6:00 pm
Directed by Pat Patterson, those who audition will be asked to participate in “cold” readings from the script. Although The Hostage is not a musical, auditioners may be asked to sing a verse of song of their choosing, such as “Danny Boy” or “When the Saints go Marching In”, without accompaniment. On-stage experience is not essential to be part of The Hostage!
Characters break down as follows (ages refer to the age that the actor can portray):
Pat (male 50s & up) Gregarious ex-IRA fighter; now the manager of the boarding house
Meg: (female 30s-50s) Runs the house. She & Pat have been “almost married” many years
Monsewer: (male 60s-70s) Dotty owner of the house. Plays the bagpipes! Raised “British” but switched to the IRA “cause” in 1917, Speaks a bit of Gaelic
Teresa: (female 18-early 20s) a country girl, housemaid, cares for the Hostage
Leslie: (male 18 – 20s) a young, cockney British soldier – the Hostage
Mr. Mulleady: (male 30s – up) a seedy but proper (sometimes) boarder
Miss Gilchrist: (female 30s – up) Mulleady’s “social worker” friend
Colette and Ropeen: (female, one young and one older) prostitutes
Rio Rita and Princess Grace: (male any age) “male tarts”
An IRA Officer/extremist (any gender; 20s – up)
The Pianist: (any age) accompanies the singing and dancing and sometimes more
Others: Several roles for individuals (any age/gender) to play roles as house residents, IRA fighters, British military etc.
Contact the Church Hill Theatre office at 410-556-6003 or reach out directly to Pat Patterson at 571-215-7973 or cpatter983@aol.com with any questions.