Auditions – A Flea in Her Ear
A FLEA IN HER EAR
Georges Feydeau’s farce adapted by David Ives
Directed by David Martin
AUDITION DETAILS
Monday, February 11, 2019, 7:00 – 9:00pm at Olathe Civic Theatre Association.
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script which will be provided at the audition.
No audition slot sign-up is required.
Please bring a current resume and headshot. Audition and conflict form will be available at auditions.
Be prepared to list all known conflicts from April 22 – May 25, 2019.
No conflicts during tech week May 26 – 30, 2019.
*If you are unable to attend this date, please contact the director at dmartin922@gmail.com to arrange an alternative time to audition.
*If you are interested in auditioning and have worked with this director in the past, you may be invited to attend callbacks without an initial audition. To request this arrangement, please contact the director at dmartin922@gmail.com.
CALLBACKS
*By invitation only.
Saturday, February 16, 2019, 12:00 – 4:00pm at Olathe Civic Theatre Association.
PRODUCTION DATES
May 31, June 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16
Fri/Sat at 8:00pm | Sun at 2:00 pm
*PLEASE NOTE that opening night is the end of Memorial Day week and the closing performance is Father’s Day. Please consult your calendars before deciding to audition.
REHEARSALS
\Rehearsals will begin in full on Monday, April 22nd, though there may be one or two additional rehearsals prior to that date. Beginning on the 22nd, rehearsals will follow a standard Sunday-Thursday, 7:00 – 10:00pm rehearsal schedule. The exact schedule will be based on actor conflicts. It will not be necessary for all actors to attend all rehearsals, but auditioners should try to keep conflicts to a minimum. With the exception of rehearsals prior to April 22nd, all rehearsals will be at the Olathe Civic Theatre Association, 500 E Loula, Olathe, KS 66061.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Please read the play in advance of auditioning. There are several things about the characters you will want to learn before auditioning. Every character will have a bit of physical comedy to perform, so be sure you are physically able to do what is needed. The physicality varies from character to character, so if you have some physical limitations, there still may be a spot for you. Every character is funny and every actor needs to be part of an ensemble rowing in the same direction to make this show work.
CLICK HERE to download the PDF of the script. If you get your own copy elsewhere be sure to get the David Ives version.
SYNOPSIS
A Flea in Her Ear is a door slamming farce filled with crazy characters, outrageous situations, and fast-paced and often physical comedy. It features the story of Victor Chandebise and his wife Raymonde, who begin the show in the middle of some marital performance issues. Raymonde is sure the reason is that Victor is having an affair, so she and her friend Lucienne devise a trick to catch him in the act. Along the way, we meet Victor’s nephew Camille, who is actually having an affair with Victor’s cook Antoinette, who is married to Victor’s valet Etienne. Raymonde is the subject of the obsessions of Romain, who is a business partner of Victor. Lucienne is recently married to an extremely jealous and fiery-tempered Don Carlos Homenides De Histangua. They all end up at the Frisky Puss hotel, where we meet another group of wild characters and everything descends into madness.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director/Sound Designer – David Martin
Stage Manager – D.K. Evenson
Set Designer – Bill Wright
Lighting Designer – Chuck Cline
Costume Designer – Sarah Jeter
Properties Designer – Valerie Martin
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
*A note about the ages listed. Some have a wide array listed. This means that we are looking for the right character fit and it only matters that certain characters appear the same age as each other rather than a specific age listed. In other cases, the age matters a great deal. Age descriptions indicate how old you look, not how old you are.
Victor Chandebise (male, 30s to 50s) – He is the faithful husband to Raymonde and is a generally uninteresting insurance salesman. This actor also plays the character of Poche, who is a drunken bellboy at the Frisky Puss Hotel. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required.
Raymonde Chandebise (female, roughly the same age as Victor) – She believes her husband Victor is cheating on her. She is contemplating an affair with Romain and is best friends with Lucienne. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required. This character will also appear on stage in revealing clothing.
Camille (male, must be younger than Victor) – He has a speech impediment that leads people to lose patience with him. He is a frequent visitor to the Frisky Puss Hotel. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required.
Lucienne Homenides De Histangua (female, roughly the same age as Raymonde) – She is the best friend of Raymonde and married to Carlos. She is part of the plot to catch Victor having an affair. SOME physical comedy is required.
Don Carlos Homenides De Histangua (male, roughly the same age as Lucienne) – The extremely jealous, short-tempered client of Victor. Must speak with a (preferably cartoonish) Spanish accent. LIGHT physical comedy is required.
Romain Tournel (male, roughly the same age as Raymonde) – Business partner of Victor and would be lover of Raymonde. Kind of a sleaze. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required.
Dr. Finache (male, any age but preferably older than Victor) – Doctor for Victor’s insurance company and also a friend of the entire family. Frequent visitor to the Frisky Puss Hotel. LIGHT physical comedy is required.
Etienne (male, 30s to 50s) – Valet of Victor. Married to Antoinette. Always looking to help his employer. SOME physical comedy is required.
Antoinette (female, roughly the same age as Etienne) – Cook in the Chandebise home. Married to Etienne but having an affair with Camille. SOME physical comedy is required.
Ferallion (male, 30’s to 50s) – Proprietor of the Frisky Puss Hotel. Married to Olympia. Nephew of Baptiste. He is very militaristic in how he runs his business. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required.
Olympia (female, roughly the same age as Ferallion) – Wife of Ferallion. Works at the Frisky Puss Hotel. SOME physical comedy is required. This character MAY appear on stage in revealing clothing.
Eugenie (female, 20’s-30’s) – Maid in the Frisky Puss Hotel. LIGHT physical comedy is required.
Baptiste (male, at least 60) – Ferallion’s drunk uncle who fills an important role at the Frisky Puss Hotel. LIGHT physical comedy is required.
Rugby (male, 20’s-40’s) – Must be in good physical condition. Speaks in a cockney accent. Seems ready to sleep with anything that moves. SIGNIFICANT physical comedy is required. This character will appear on stage shirtless.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Cast members are required to assist with strike following the final performance on June 16.
Cast members may also be asked to assist with costume pieces.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions you cannot answer through this audition notice or the Facebook audition event, please email director David Martin at dmartin922@gmail.com.
*OCTA celebrates our cultural and intellectual richness and is committed to promoting diversity in all aspects of our organization. Non-traditional and equal-opportunity casting is encouraged.