Rope Auditions
Directed by Carolyne Bevan
Production dates: 19th – 21st October
Reading: Thursday 13th July
Audition: Monday 24th July
Both at 8pm in the back room of the Community Centre.
Cast: 8
Setting: a swish Mayfair penthouse apartment c. 1930
Two arrogant Oxford University students Brandon and Granillo, strangle their friend
Kentley to death with a rope for no apparent reason other than to show they can get away with murder. They place their victim’s body in a chest in the living room. This is then covered over with a cloth and used as a table from which refreshments for a cocktail party are served later that evening. The party guests include Kentley’s parent, relative, romantic partner and also the murderers’ mentor, Rupert Cadell. Brandon’s sense of intellectual superiority swells to reckless levels throughout the evening, making a tense cat & mouse game as Rupert inches ever closer to discovering exactly why Kentley hasn’t shown up for the party.
With the exception of Rupert Cadell who needs to be a middle- aged male, and Leila Arden who is a youthful looking woman, completely open to gender of the other cast members, including the murderers themselves. It is all about getting the mix and the weird chemistry right.
Age guides are deliberately vague – whatever you can get away with on stage!
Characters
Brandon – killer [youthful looking] M/F
Granillo – killer [youthful looking] M/F
Sabot – French servant [any age] M/F
Raglan – killer/victim’s friend [youthful looking] M/F
Leila Arden – victim’s love interest [youthful looking] F
Kentley [Snr] – victim’s parent [middle aged] M/F
Debenham – victim’s relative [middle aged] M/F
Rupert Cadell – Brandon & Granillo’s mentor [middle aged] M