Interested in Joining?

Auditions Dates​

Thursday 22nd October 2026

7 pm to 10 pm

and

Sunday 25th October 2026

11 am to 1 pm

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at

Otford Village Memorial Hall

Club Room

28a High Street

Otford

TN14 5PQ

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Performance dates​

June/July 2027. Specific dates to be confirmed.

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Rehearsal dates

To be confirmed.

In past years, these have been on Tuesday evenings, Thursday evenings, and Sunday afternoons from March/April.​​

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Characters

​Playing ages are not fixed as all actors will be required to double up on parts.

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SIR JOHN FALSTAFF

The larger-than-life comic villain at the centre of the chaos. A swaggering, shameless, selfconfident rogue who believes he is irresistible to women, cleverer than everyone else and generally entitled to whatever he wants. Physically funny, charismatic and completely without shame. Needs strong comic timing and the ability to command an audience.

 

MISTRESS QUICKLY

The audience's guide, Windsor's unofficial gossip network and the woman who somehow knows  everything. Clever, warm, opportunistic and perpetually busy. She is constantly moving between the different worlds of the play, helping everyone — sometimes for money, sometimes because  she genuinely wants things to work out, and sometimes because she has accidentally made the situation much worse. Requires an actress with great comic timing comfortable breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the audience.

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FRANK FORD

A respectable Windsor husband whose imagination runs away with him. Jealous, suspicious and increasingly obsessed with catching Falstaff and his wife together. His attempts to disguise himself as "Master Brook" are a gift for physical comedy. Needs to play both genuine emotional stakes and increasingly ridiculous farce.

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ALICE FORD

Clever, confident and very much her own woman. She is amused rather than intimidated by Falstaff's advances and becomes one of the architects of his downfall. Quick-thinking, mischievous and capable of driving a scene. Her friendship and comic partnership with Mistress Page are central to the play.

 

GEORGE PAGE

Ford's opposite: calm, trusting and considerably less inclined to panic. A respectable family man who thinks he has everything under control — while his daughter has rather different plans. Dry comic potential; often funniest when everyone around him is losing the plot.

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MARGARET PAGE

Sharp, practical and mischievous. She is every bit as capable of plotting as Mistress Ford and thoroughly enjoys getting revenge on Falstaff. Also a protective mother who wants the best for Anne. Needs warmth, intelligence and excellent comic timing.

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ANNE PAGE/ROBIN

The young woman everyone else is trying to marry off — and the one person who actually knows what she wants. Intelligent, spirited and quietly determined. Although surrounded by much louder characters, Anne is an important part of the romantic plot and needs to have enough presence to make us care about her and Fenton. 

Will also double as ROBIN Falstaff's servant.

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FENTON / THE BARMAN

THE BARMAN is the genial, slightly knowing host of the Garter, caught in the middle of everybody else's disasters and often trying to keep the whole thing moving. Will also double as FENTON, the genuine romantic hero: charming, sincere and determined to win Anne despite her father's objections. The doubling will be part of the fun rather than hidden, are they different people at all? Nobody is quite sure.

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ROBERT SHALLOW

A pompous, elderly country justice who is very serious about his dignity, his feud with Falstaff and getting his nephew married to Anne Page. Easily riled and wonderfully self-important. A comic character with plenty of physical potential.

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SLENDER / DOCTOR CAIUS

A comic double-act played by one performer. SLENDER is awkward, boastful and determined to appear more manly and impressive than he actually is. His attempts to woo Anne are gloriously uncomfortable. DOCTOR CAIUS is fiery, impatient and theatrical — a French physician (accent required) who is convinced he has been wronged and is perpetually ready to fight about it. The rapid transformation between the two characters is part of the joke and requires strong physical and vocal differentiation. 

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Additional Information

Please let us know by contacting the director (email address below) if you wish to attend, or to ask questions about the process.

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Please note that all successful auditionees are required to become members of Sevenoaks Shakespeare,

and are required to uphold our Code of Conduct.

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​Audition pieces available from the director, jessicaannjenner@gmail.com.

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​A note from the Director

This is a fast, playful, and physical version of Merry Wives. We are looking for a small company of 10 actors who are happy to embrace farce, physical comedy, audience interaction, quick changes and theatrical silliness, while still treating Shakespeare's language with clarity and confidence. Many of the smaller roles have been cut and some characters deliberately doubled, which itself is part of the comedy. We are particularly looking for actors who can create clear, distinct characters quickly through voice, physicality, and attitude.

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The piece is set in a 1950s style bar and laundromat, so expect a fabulous soundtrack however, we are still very much in Windsor, England. The script has received significant cuts to keep it as fast 

paced as possible. This is very much Shakespeare meets pantomime, meets Grease! We are hoping we can make this a family friendly ridiculous romp.

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