AUDITION NOTICE: Breath of Spring - Growl Theatre

Title: Breath of Spring

Presented By: Growl Theatre

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: Set in London in the late 1950s, Breath of Spring is a delightful British comedy of manners with a mischievous twist. Dame Beatrice Appleby is a generous woman whose dwindling finances have forced her to take in a colourful collection of lodgers. When her maid Lily presents her with a luxurious mink stole as a thank-you gift, Beatrice suspects it has been stolen from a neighbour. Horrified but intrigued, Beatrice and her eccentric household devise a plan to secretly return it. After their first mission proves unexpectedly successful, the group decides to continue their Robin Hood-style exploits, anonymously stealing and returning fur garments while supporting worthy causes. As the schemes become increasingly elaborate, laughter, mistaken identities and unexpected camaraderie abound—until Scotland Yard begins to investigate.

Audition Date: Saturday 1 August 2026

Audition Time: 1:30pm

Audition Location and Address: Windsor School of Arts Hall, 381 Lutwyche Road, Windsor QLD 4030

Audition Requirements:

• Complete the audition registration form.

• Email a headshot and acting CV to production@growltheatre.org.au.

• Prepare a comic audition piece (maximum two minutes).

• Participate in cold readings from the script.

• Callbacks (if required) will be held Sunday 2 August at 6:30pm.

Audition Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfLu6AD7SIJzuxVIQzZaubMwNpwGiy5CtPx3AH5xx04TZ9dA/viewform?usp=send_form

Audition Pack: https://growltheatre.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Audition-Notice-Breath-of-Spring.pdf

Performance Dates: 6–15 November 2026

Performance Times:

• Friday 6 November – 7:30pm

• Saturday 7 November – 2:00pm & 7:30pm

• Sunday 8 November – 2:00pm

• Friday 13 November – 7:30pm

• Saturday 14 November – 2:00pm & 7:30pm

• Sunday 15 November – 2:00pm

Performance Location: Windsor School of Arts Hall, 381 Lutwyche Road, Windsor QLD 4030

Rehearsal Dates:

• Read-through & Costume Fittings:

  • Monday 24 August

  • Thursday 27 August

• Rehearsals commence Sunday 30 August and continue through 5 November 2026.

• Critical rehearsals: 25 October – 5 November 2026

• Bump Out: Sunday 22 November (10:00am)

Rehearsal Times:

• Mondays & Thursdays: 6:30pm–9:30pm

• Sundays: 1:30pm–5:00pm

Warnings:

• This production requires cast members to handle and wear real fur garments as they are central to the plot.

• English accents are required for all characters.

• Cast members should be available for all performances and critical rehearsals.

• Successful cast members will need to supply some personal costume items (e.g. socks, stockings, gloves) and basic stage makeup.

Performer Age: Adults 18+

Creative Team: Director – Dale Murison

Production Website: https://growltheatre.org.au/2026-season-breath-of-spring/

Other information:

• Cast diversity is encouraged while remaining true to the period and setting.

• Police roles appear only in the final scene and will likely double as Stage Manager/Assistant Stage Manager.

• Successful cast members must become financial members of Growl Theatre ($30 annual membership for 2026).

• If you have rehearsal conflicts, these should be disclosed during registration.

Available Roles/Character Breakdown:

• Dame Beatrice Appleby ("Bea") (Playing Age: 60s–70s) A lively, eccentric and generous woman with a strong sense of social justice. Despite financial struggles, she remains optimistic and becomes the unlikely leader of the group's criminal escapades.

• Alice, Lady Miller (Playing Age: 60s–70s) Beatrice's elegant and upper-class friend. Stylish, sociable and quietly flirtatious despite her modest financial circumstances.

• Brigadier Albert Rayne ("Bertie") (Playing Age: 60s–70s) A retired military officer and one of Beatrice's lodgers. Organised, disciplined and determined to approach every scheme with military precision.

• Miss Nanette Parry ("Nan") (Playing Age: 40s–50s) A practical, cheerful lodger and elocution teacher with a commanding voice and talent for accents. Often the voice of reason amongst the chaos.

• Lily Thompson (Playing Age: 30s) Beatrice's maid. Streetwise, witty and reformed, with a mischievous streak and a slight Cockney accent.

• Miss Elizabeth Hatfield ("Hattie") (Playing Age: 40s–50s) A nervous and delicate lodger whose anxious disposition provides plenty of comic contrast.

• Detective Sergeant Pape (30+) A Scotland Yard detective who appears during the final scene.

• Police Constable Kemp (Any adult age) A police officer appearing in the final scene. Likely to double as Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager.