Live Oak Theatre Announces Auditions for 2022-23 Season Opener, Murder on the Orient Express.

Director Katie Marra will hold auditions for "Murder on the Orient Express" on Saturday, June 18th from 10am-1pm. The Agatha Christie murder mystery will be performed from September 23 through October 9. This is an open audition for members and non-members of the repertory company.

This will not be a typical Live Oak audition. This audition will require PREPARED readings from the script. Those who audition must be prepared to show their ability to become the character for which they are auditioning.

Below is a message from the director and a description of each character, as well as what sides to request from the stage manager.

“As we close this season we are jumping right into the next! Due to the intricacy of this show, we felt it necessary to offer this description of characters and the accents they will require in the show.”

If you would like to audition, please email liveoakstagemanager@gmail.com for sides and familiarize yourself with the scenes pertaining to the characters you are interested in before the audition date.

Character Descriptions:

Detective Hercule Poirot Gender – Male Age Range – 40-65 Accent – Belgian Sides – Pgs. 12-13 (monologue), 18, & 43 “Agatha Christie’s most famous detective. Poirot is fastidious, thorough, a touch ridiculous, and incredibly observant and intelligent. He is both arrogant and humble to fault. He is an observer of people, astute at analyzing why people behave as they do, and firmly believes that most crimes can be solved primarily by observation, psychology, and thinking them through. He values intelligence and the rule of law above all else.” (Carries the bulk of the lines throughout the show.)

Monsieur Bouc Gender – Male Age Range – 40-64 Accent – Belgian

Sides – Pgs. 18, 24, & 43 “The owner of Wagon Lit, Orient Express. Bouc is a middle-aged man with a youthful vigor and attitude. Gregarious, honest and forthright, he puts his friends and customers above profit, although he is concerned about his company’s image. He is not a match for Poirot in intelligence, however.”

Mary Debenham Gender – Female Age Range – mid 20s-30s Accent - English (standard) Sides – Pg. 35 “A governess. Anxious, but also cool and determined, Mary has a certain sadness about her, as well as many secrets. She is carrying on a secret affair with Colonel Arbuthnot.”

Colonel Arbuthnot Gender – Male Age Range – 30s Accent - Scottish Sides – Pg. 35 “A military man of the old-fashioned type, possibly old-money, and used to being obeyed without question. He is strong, charismatic, but also problematic in some of his personal views. Has a temper.”

Hector MacQueen Gender – Male Age Range – 23-35 Accent – American Sides – Pgs. 16 & 21 “Personal assistant and secretary to Samuel Ratchett, MacQueen is a nervous character with a stutter that appears when he is especially anxious. Seems rather new to his profession. Talks a bit too much.”

Michel (doubles as Head Waiter) Gender – Male Age Range – 40s Accent – French (Michel) & Turkish (Head Waiter) Sides – Pgs. 18 (Turkish), 20 & 24 (French) “Competent and organized, Michel is the conductor for the first-class carriages of the Orient Express. Handles himself well in a crisis and is very good at his job. Note: This actor will double as the Head Waiter of the Tokatlian Hotel and will also need to be able to do a Turkish accent.”

Princess Dragomiroff Gender – Female Age Range – 60s-70s Accent – Russian Sides – Pgs. 19 & 20 “Displaced Russian nobility. The Princess is a battleship: determined, arrogant, and accustomed to getting her way. She travels a great deal and holds very decided opinions.”

Greta Ohlsson Gender – Female Age Range – 30s Accent – Swedish Sides – Pgs. 19 & 20 “A Catholic missionary and baby nurse currently serving as a companion to Princess Dragomiroff. She would like to help small children in Africa. Deeply devout. This character may be funny but should not be played as a caricature for laughs.”

Countess Andrenyi Gender – Female Age Range – 25-35 Accent - Hungarian Sides – Pg. 43 “In addition to being married to a count (and thus, nobility), she is also a doctor. Beautiful, educated, charming, and intelligent enough to match wits with Poirot. Must also be able to do an American accent.”

Helen Hubbard Gender – Female Age Range – 45-60 Accent – American (regional & transatlantic) Sides – Pgs. 16 & 24 “Not exactly what she seems, Hubbard comes across as a gregarious, loud, obnoxious American busybody who has been married multiple times. Must be comfortable singing and lightly dancing. Should also be able to pull off a cooler, more calculated version of this character with a very standard or even cultured American accent.”

Samuel Rachett Gender – Male Age Range – 45-65 Accent – American (mobster)

Sides – Pgs. 20 & 21 “A dangerous and unlikable man, full of entitlement, with a hair trigger temper. Must have a forceful personality and come across as someone not to be trusted or crossed.”

Note: As the murder victim, this actor may be required to remain on stage and still for an extended period of time.