AUDITION DETAILS
Dates: August Friday 8th & Saturday 9th
Bookings: Lynn Gough 0409031641
Further Details: Paul Belsham 0422059226
Directors: Paul Belsham & Leanne Broadley
About the Seekers:
The first half of the Sixties marked an era of sweeping political and social change around the globe, a time of radical change in the worlds of music, fashion and art.
In America, President Lyndon Johnson signed the most controversial civil rights legislation in the history of the nation, while in Australia young people had begun to challenge the traditional values of their parents’ generation by actively opposing the decisions of the government.
But it was England that best reflected this changing world, metamorphosising from a gloomy, post-war capital into the universal epicentre of ‘cool’.
“Swinging London” had arrived: fashionable shopping areas such as Carnaby Street and the Kings Road sprang up, where fashion boutiques were selling their latest gear to the Mods. Skirts were getting shorter, hair was getting longer, and there was a significant shift in attitudes towards sex and sexuality; the contraceptive pill made casual sex easier and safer.
But it was the music industry that gave the new definition to rebellion; British Rock and Pop was changing the face of music.
That the Seekers, a folk quartet from Melbourne, Australia comprising three clean-cut young men and a shy, overweight girl (or, as Lillian Roxon so famously wrote, “One cuddly girl-next-door type and three sober cats who looked like bank tellers”) could go from an inner-city coffee lounge to the concert stages of the word, rivalling the might of bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the process, seems preposterous.
Characters Guide:
Judith Durham – Actor/Singer/Dancer. . Diminutive female vocalist famous for ger distinctive vocal sound. Australian
Ron Edgeworth – Actor/Singer/Piano player an asset. English. Spent his years in a Bristol and moved to East London in his early teens. He picked up a London accent but not c=Cockney. (Ron can be heard at the beginning of his interview in 1969 https://youtu.be/ai3YyExDawM
Athol Guy – Actor/Singer. Tall. Bass vocals/plays double bass. Australian.
Keith Potger – Actor/Singer. Tenor vocals/plays six & twelve-string guitar/banjo. Australian.
Bruce Woodley – Actor/Singer. Baritone/plays six & twelve-string guitar/banjo. Australian.
John Ashby – Actor/Singer/Dancer. The Seekers’ tour manager. English. Similar background to Ron. He came from the provinces (Southampton) and migrated to London. His voice is rich and commanding.
Eddie Jarrett – Actor/Singer. The Seekers Manager. English. Another mixture. London with hints of his Welsh background. Smooth and assured.
Beverley Sheehan (Judith’s sister) – Actor/Singer. Australian.
PLUS ENSEMBLE CHARACTERS.
Ensemble Notes:
Young M.C: English – Jimmy Tarbuck was M.C at the Palladium Theatre at this time.
Robert Whitaker: English
Female TV Journalist: English
Policeman: English
Grade Executive: English
Simon Dee: English
G.I.: American
Waitress: Irish
Dusty Springfield: English
Dolly Bird: English
Dates of the production click here