Current CADS production
It's Shakespeare, but not as we know it
We’re holding auditions for our next show on Tuesday 16 June at The Old Schoolhouse, Market Hill, Royston!
The show consists of two one-act comedies with Shakespearean connections, which we’re presenting as part of the Royston Arts Festival 2026 in September. We are also taking one or both of them to the Cambridge Festival of Drama at the ADC, also in September.
Ruby of Elsinore, by American Bruce Kane, sees the eponymous court hairdresser cutting the hair of (and exchanging banter with) Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Hamlet and even the ghost. There are three male and three female roles as follows:
Ruby - young(ish), sassy, probably American, woman of the world
Ophelia - young, naive, slightly awkward
Gertrude - 40-ish, regal, lascivious to the point of raunchy
Claudius - 40-ish, regal, arrogant and a smooth talker
Hamlet - young, morose, the surly teenager type
Ghost - 50-60, warlike, garrulous
With the exception of Ruby, who is on stage throughout, the other parts have only a short scene each. Note that there is considerable leeway about exact ages.
To Be, or Not to Bother? - a brand-new play by David Tristram - has the members of the Little Grimley Drama Society attempting to put on an evening of iconic scenes from the Bard with minimal resources and even less talent. It has two male and two female characters as follows:
Gordon - 40s-60s, de facto director of the group, full of ideas but frustrated
Margaret - 40s-60s, highbrow, aspiring actress, middle-class
Joyce - 40s-60s but could be younger, keen but hopeless and a bit fluffy
Bernard - 40s-60s, down to earth, stage manager and reluctant actor
Once again, there could be some wiggle room in terms of ages.
Auditions for both plays will take place between 7.00 and 9.00 p.m. at The Old Schoolhouse, Market Hill, Royston and all are welcome, whether or not you’ve acted with CADS before. There’s no need to prepare anything in advance – we’ll get you to read through some pages of the scripts and you’re free to try for any of the parts available. However, if you’d like to see the scripts ahead of the auditions, please contact [email protected]
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