AUDITION NOTICE: How to Survive a Happy Childhood - Ad Astra Theatre Company

Title: How to Survive a Happy Childhood

Presented By: Ad Astra Theatre Company

Genre: Contemporary Drama / Dark Comedy / Family Drama

Synopsis: A world premiere by acclaimed Australian playwright David Williamson, How to Survive a Happy Childhood is a sharp, provocative comedy exploring family, fortune, love, privilege and the price of getting what you want. Jess has left Brisbane to study business in Geelong, but rising rent, mounting bills and academic pressures are making independence more difficult than she imagined. Hoping for support from her wealthy Toorak grandparents, she instead encounters her grandfather Jack's uncompromising belief in self-sufficiency and his longstanding contempt for her parents.

When Jess falls for Carl, a charming but increasingly possessive law student, her financial and emotional troubles intensify. As romance turns into control and family tensions escalate, Jess finds herself caught between a demanding boyfriend and a grandfather unwilling to compromise. With Jack's 70th birthday approaching, Jess discovers that a family secret may give her the leverage she needs to turn the tables. As three generations collide over money, morality and love, Williamson delivers a biting examination of privilege, hypocrisy and the family values we inherit.

Audition Date: Saturday 17 October 2026

Audition Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm

Audition Location and Address: Ad Astra – Galaxy, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane QLD

Audition Requirements:

• Prepare a monologue of approximately two minutes.

• Following the initial audition, applicants will be provided with selected scenes from the play to prepare and read alongside other auditioning actors.

• Applicants should be prepared for collaborative scene work and character exploration.

Callbacks: Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 6:00pm, if required.

Audition Registration:

Applications close Friday 9 October 2026.

Email fionakennedy@adastracreativity.com with:

• A current CV in Word or Google Docs format only.

• A recent headshot.

• The name of the character you wish to audition for.

Performance Dates: 4–27 February 2027

Performance Location: Ad Astra – Galaxy, 210 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane QLD

Rehearsal Dates: From Monday 9 November 2026

Performer Age: Adult performers. Character age ranges span approximately 18–70 years.

Creative Team:

• Director – Heidi Gledhill

• Playwright – David Williamson

Production Website: https://www.adastracreativity.com/auditions-news

Other information:

• This production is the world premiere of David Williamson's How to Survive a Happy Childhood.

• This is a co-operative production, with performers receiving a share of ticket sales after expenses rather than a guaranteed fixed fee.

• The company welcomes applications from actors of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and body types.

Available Roles/Character Breakdown

• JESS

  • Gender: Female

  • Playing Age: 18–25

  • The emotional centre and narrator of the play. Jess is bright, warm and initially somewhat sheltered. Leaving her loving Brisbane home to study business in Geelong, she discovers that adulthood is far more complicated than she expected. As financial pressures mount and her romantic relationship becomes increasingly unhealthy, Jess must navigate difficult choices involving independence, family loyalty and self-worth. Her journey takes her from insecurity and romantic idealism towards greater self-awareness, confidence and independence.

  • Performance Requirements: Strong emotional range, naturalistic acting and the ability to sustain the audience's connection as the central storyteller.

• CARL

  • Gender: Male

  • Playing Age: 20–25

  • A charismatic, confident third-year law student who sweeps Jess off her feet with charm, attention and intense romantic certainty. Initially appealing and seemingly devoted, Carl gradually reveals a darker side characterised by jealousy, possessiveness and an increasing need for control. The role requires an actor who can make Carl's early romantic appeal convincing while allowing his manipulative behaviour to emerge progressively.

  • Performance Requirements: Strong dramatic versatility, believable charm and the ability to portray psychological complexity and controlling behaviour.

• GEMMA

  • Gender: Female

  • Playing Age: 45–55

  • Jess's loving, perceptive and fiercely protective mother. A former aspiring lawyer, Gemma chose a life of music and love over the financially secure future her wealthy parents had envisioned for her. Warm, emotionally intelligent and deeply connected to her daughter, Gemma quickly recognises the warning signs in Jess's relationship with Carl. Unwilling to remain silent when her daughter is threatened, she provides an important moral and emotional counterpoint to the family's wealthier members.

  • Performance Requirements: Emotional authenticity, warmth, intelligence and the ability to communicate protective strength.

• BARRY

  • Gender: Male

  • Playing Age: 45–55

  • Jess's affectionate, optimistic father. A former accountant who abandoned a conventional career to pursue music alongside Gemma, Barry represents a different philosophy of success from his wealthy in-laws. Gentle, supportive and less suspicious than his wife, Barry embodies the warmth, stability and unconditional love of Jess's childhood home.

  • Performance Requirements: Naturalistic acting, warmth, sincerity and an approachable, optimistic stage presence.

• JACK

  • Gender: Male

  • Playing Age: 60–70

  • Jess's wealthy, highly successful and fiercely opinionated grandfather. Jack is committed to the belief that people must earn their own success and that hardship builds character. His uncompromising attitude towards financial independence is matched by his disdain for Jess's parents and their unconventional choices. Forceful, charismatic and frequently infuriating, Jack can also be funny and engaging. The role requires an actor who can find the humanity beneath his stubbornness and avoid reducing him to a one-dimensional antagonist.

  • Performance Requirements: Commanding stage presence, strong comedic timing, emotional nuance and the ability to portray deeply held convictions.

• CATRIONA

  • Gender: Female

  • Playing Age: 60–70

  • Jess's glamorous and wealthy grandmother. Charming, socially confident and unapologetically fond of luxury, status and the comfortable life she has created, Catriona presents a warmer and more approachable personality than her husband Jack. However, beneath her polished exterior, she shares many of Jack's assumptions about money, success and what constitutes a worthwhile life.

  • Performance Requirements: Sophisticated characterisation, confident stage presence, subtle comedy and the ability to balance charm with underlying social prejudice.