Arcadia
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Arthur Young
28 Jul - 13 Aug 2022
In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics, nature and physics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron (an unseen guest in the house). In the present, writer Hannah Jarvis and literature professor Bernard Nightingale converge on the house: she is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds; he is researching a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their studies unfold – with the help of Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology – the truth about what happened in Thomasina's time is gradually revealed.
Playwright
Tom SToppard
Arcadia, written by English playwright Tom Stoppard, explores the relationship between past and present, order and disorder, certainty and uncertainty. It has been praised by many critics as the finest play from "one of the most significant contemporary playwrights" in the English language.
In 2006, the Royal Institution of Great Britain named it one of the best science-related works ever written.
Director
Arthur Young
As a big fan of Tom Stoppard’s writing there was no way I was going to turn down Arcadia as my first opportunity to direct a full length play at Dolphin Theatre. As written the play is pretty simple from the point of view of the set and scene changes, allowing me to focus on the actors performances. I want to work collaboratively with my cast to make the most of Stoppard’s wonderful writing.
The play itself is split between two time periods: 1809/1812 and now. This means there are two separate casts and only one actor who will play a character in both periods. I will be using lighting and music to transition from one time period to another.
There is a wonderful cast of characters to audition for here. Anyone interested in auditioning should read the script to understand the journey these characters go through, especially if you are looking to audition for a 19th Century character.
Cast
CREATIVES & CREW
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