The End of the Golden Weather
Auditions
Saturday 7 November 2015 1:30 pm
Saturday 7 November 2015 at 1:30 pm, Stables Theatre, Cnr Main Highway & Arthur St, Ellerslie
“I invite you to join me in a voyage into the past, to that territory of the heart we call childhood.”
The End of the Golden Weather was written and performed as a solo show by Bruce Mason and is possibly the most well-known theatrical work of this country. It is the story of a twelve year old boy and his world in the 1930s beachside community of Te Parenga. The play is set over one summer spent in this boy’s life and the people who would become imprinted in his memory for the rest of his years. Poetical, funny and very moving theatre.
Synopsis
A twelve year old boy welcomes us into his world: the 1930s beachside community of Te Parenga, a golden territory in the land of milk and honey. He tells of spending idyllic days on the beach, meeting the local characters, swimming and eavesdropping, heading home at the end of the day for sandwiches and charades. However, the real world starts to intrude, showing him that the golden idyll cannot last. The Queen Street riots spark rumblings of dissent in Te Parenga, which are quelled by strong words from the local policeman as the boy watches from the shadows. Christmas, however, brings all the usual trimmings – church, presents, swimming, feasting – and a Christmas pageant that the boy pours heart and soul into. When the celebrations are over, he explores a rich neighbour’s property, and finds one of the beach’s characters, Firpo, living in a bach. Frightened by Firpo’s strangeness, the boy flees. Later in the summer, Firpo runs on the beach, “getting himself fit for the Olympic Games”, much to the community’s mirth. Some local boys challenge Firpo to a race the following Sunday. The boy spends the week in a daze, hoping and praying for Firpo to win. The day of the race dawns, and history runs its course. Some weeks later, when the boy goes to visit Firpo and finds him gone, the child realizes that the summer – like his childhood – is quite at an end.
The Director – Julian Harrison
Theatre has always been Julian’s life since he started doing classes and productions at the age of five. He left school and home at fifteen to pursue his passion further and had both a diploma and a degree in the Performing Arts before he was twenty. Since graduating from drama school he has been working fulltime in theatre as an actor, director and teacher of performing arts. He has been involved in over sixty shows either as an actor or a director.
This is Julian’s third production with ETS. He directed 'I Hate Hamlet' & 'Take a Chance on Me' at Stables Theatre in 2014. Julian has directed extensively throughout Auckland including a very successful production of 'Looking' at Dolphin Theatre earlier this year and recently 'Hay Fever' for Company Theatre. He is currently directing 'The Seven Year Twitch' at Howick Little Theatre where his shows have picked up their show of the year award the last two years running.
Directors notes on the play
I am very excited to be directing ‘The End of the Golden Weather’ in 2016. It is a play I have always wanted to do a full cast version of and believe, with ETS, we will produce a version of this play that has never been seen before and will be both moving and memorable for actors and audiences. I am looking to use talented young character actors to play multiple characters in the show. There is also a role for one senior statesman, who will be a central focus for the piece.
Rehearsals
Commence Tuesday 12 January 2016, Tuesdays and Thursdays each week from 7.30pm, Sundays from 12.30pm
Season
Thursday 10 to Saturday 19 March 2016 - 10 performances including 2 matinees
Cast Required
The cast requirements listed below are a general outline. Ages specified are guidelines only and are flexible. Although the cast list numbers 46, there are only 8 cast members required aged 18 to 50. Cast can be male or female. The ability to portray different characters of differing age and gender is the key. It is important that those auditioning have the ability to drop in and out of a wide variety of characters seamlessly and without the aid of costume changes to enable the audience to know by accent, voice change and mannerisms the character you are portraying. This will be a workshop style audition where actors will need to show they have a wide palate of performance possibilities.
For more information, a copy of the script, or to make your audition time please contact Julian Harrison on email: drjulianharrison@gmail.com
“I invite you to join me in a voyage into the past, to that territory of the heart we call childhood.”
The End of the Golden Weather was written and performed as a solo show by Bruce Mason and is possibly the most well-known theatrical work of this country. It is the story of a twelve year old boy and his world in the 1930s beachside community of Te Parenga. The play is set over one summer spent in this boy’s life and the people who would become imprinted in his memory for the rest of his years. Poetical, funny and very moving theatre.
Synopsis
A twelve year old boy welcomes us into his world: the 1930s beachside community of Te Parenga, a golden territory in the land of milk and honey. He tells of spending idyllic days on the beach, meeting the local characters, swimming and eavesdropping, heading home at the end of the day for sandwiches and charades. However, the real world starts to intrude, showing him that the golden idyll cannot last. The Queen Street riots spark rumblings of dissent in Te Parenga, which are quelled by strong words from the local policeman as the boy watches from the shadows. Christmas, however, brings all the usual trimmings – church, presents, swimming, feasting – and a Christmas pageant that the boy pours heart and soul into. When the celebrations are over, he explores a rich neighbour’s property, and finds one of the beach’s characters, Firpo, living in a bach. Frightened by Firpo’s strangeness, the boy flees. Later in the summer, Firpo runs on the beach, “getting himself fit for the Olympic Games”, much to the community’s mirth. Some local boys challenge Firpo to a race the following Sunday. The boy spends the week in a daze, hoping and praying for Firpo to win. The day of the race dawns, and history runs its course. Some weeks later, when the boy goes to visit Firpo and finds him gone, the child realizes that the summer – like his childhood – is quite at an end.
The Director – Julian Harrison
Theatre has always been Julian’s life since he started doing classes and productions at the age of five. He left school and home at fifteen to pursue his passion further and had both a diploma and a degree in the Performing Arts before he was twenty. Since graduating from drama school he has been working fulltime in theatre as an actor, director and teacher of performing arts. He has been involved in over sixty shows either as an actor or a director.
This is Julian’s third production with ETS. He directed 'I Hate Hamlet' & 'Take a Chance on Me' at Stables Theatre in 2014. Julian has directed extensively throughout Auckland including a very successful production of 'Looking' at Dolphin Theatre earlier this year and recently 'Hay Fever' for Company Theatre. He is currently directing 'The Seven Year Twitch' at Howick Little Theatre where his shows have picked up their show of the year award the last two years running.
Directors notes on the play
I am very excited to be directing ‘The End of the Golden Weather’ in 2016. It is a play I have always wanted to do a full cast version of and believe, with ETS, we will produce a version of this play that has never been seen before and will be both moving and memorable for actors and audiences. I am looking to use talented young character actors to play multiple characters in the show. There is also a role for one senior statesman, who will be a central focus for the piece.
Rehearsals
Commence Tuesday 12 January 2016, Tuesdays and Thursdays each week from 7.30pm, Sundays from 12.30pm
Season
Thursday 10 to Saturday 19 March 2016 - 10 performances including 2 matinees
Cast Required
The cast requirements listed below are a general outline. Ages specified are guidelines only and are flexible. Although the cast list numbers 46, there are only 8 cast members required aged 18 to 50. Cast can be male or female. The ability to portray different characters of differing age and gender is the key. It is important that those auditioning have the ability to drop in and out of a wide variety of characters seamlessly and without the aid of costume changes to enable the audience to know by accent, voice change and mannerisms the character you are portraying. This will be a workshop style audition where actors will need to show they have a wide palate of performance possibilities.
For more information, a copy of the script, or to make your audition time please contact Julian Harrison on email: drjulianharrison@gmail.com
No characters are listed for this production.