Auditions

***AUDITIONS***
RIPCORD
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Director: Ian Harding
Audition dates: Sat 22 and Sun 23 August, afternoons
Performance dates: 18 to 28 November 2026
Plot outline
For 4 years, irritable and sarcastic Abby Binder has kept a room to herself at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, through sheer force of her rude personality. Nursing disappointment at the direction her life has taken, she has no care for distraction. A sunny room on an upper floor is prime real estate at the living facility, but when bubbly, bright, and unbearably cheerful Marilyn Dunne is placed in her room, Abby resorts to her usual tricks but fails to scare her annoying new roommate away. She gets no sympathy from Scotty, the resident aide, who refuses to use any clout he may or may not have with management to remove Marilyn. Marilyn, for her part, loves the challenge of Abby’s bad attitude, and refuses to budge. Exercising her taste for competition and her love of pranks, Marilyn makes a bet: if Abby can break her endless patience and make her angry, Marilyn will move out. But if Marilyn can successfully frighten Abby, who claims never to get scared, she will claim the bed by the window. In her favour, Abby has a wide mean streak, which gives her no qualms about filling in Marilyn’s Sudoku, tearing up her grandson’s pictures, or digging up police reports about her violent ex-husband. But Marilyn has a devoted family on her side, as well as the most dangerous thing of all, a genuine wish to see Abby happy… As this odd couple embarks upon increasingly emotionally and physically dangerous tricks in order to break each other, deep secrets are revealed, lives are jeopardized, and peach cobbler is enjoyed.
David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord is an often slapstick, always surprising comedy, an enemies-to-friends story for a pair of excellently well-rounded, mature women.
Characters
  • Abby: Female, 70s+. Longstanding senior facility resident. A cantankerous, embittered resident who fiercely guards her single-occupancy room with a view and resents sharing it. Crisp, uptight, and a little nasty. Does soften. Major role.
  • Marilyn: Female, 70s+. Newly arrives senior facility resident. Bubbly, cheerful, and unceasingly upbeat. Has a tenacious and competitive spirit, likely borne out of her bad marriage, which drives her never to give up. Bright and colourful persona. Major role.
  • Scotty: Male, 20s-30s. Senior facility support aide who cares deeply for all the residents. Enthusiastic, friendly, and positive. He works tirelessly to improve the rooming situation between Abby and Marilyn. A budding amateur actor, always willing to help. Significant role.
  • Colleen: Female, 30s-40s. Marilyn’s daughter. Upbeat and friendly, she is a competitive prankster who strives to improve her mother’s living situation with Abby. Usually doubled with Woman in White.
  • Lewis: Male, 40s. Marilyn’s eldest son. Strong and commanding. Single scene. Can be doubled with Benjamin and Clown.
  • Derek: Male, 40s. Colleen’s husband. Has an equally playful prankster side, with a noted ability to play comedic elements. Doubled with Masked Man, usually doubled with Zombie Butler.
  • Benjamin: Male, 40s. Abby’s long-estranged son. A recovering addict who has a strained relationship with his mother. Caring and regretful about his troubled past, wants to show her that he is fully recovered and a good son. Doubled with Clown.
Zombie Butler, Woman in White, Clown: Character roles associated with a “house of horror” scene.
Please email auditions@repertory.nz to book an audition or for further information.