Coming Soon

Goodbye Charles by Gabriel Davis

Banbury Cross Players One Act Play Festival Entry 2025.

The one-act play Goodbye Charles by Gabriel Benjamin Davis has been selected by Banbury Cross Players for 2025 summer season. It will be performed at competitive festivals at Lighthorne, Abingdon and Wallingford in June and also our season preview in the autumn.

Auditions Thursday 30th January 7.30 p.m. The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury. Open to all.

PUCK

PUCK

Written and Directed by Hannah O’Donnell

10-12 July 2025

Tickets are now available from The Mill Box Office or via https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk/shows/puck/

Puck follows the familiar antics of our favourite fairies from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – with a modern twist that opens up the world of Shakespeare to new audiences!

Twenty years after the events of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in a forest outside Athens, the King and Queen of the fairies are struggling to control their changeling prince. Desperate to explore the natural world, Anatole breaks away from his adopted parents; searching for the truth about love and to discover more about where he came from. When he crosses paths with some Athenian teens looking to meet fairies, he may have found his answer! But something dark has returned to that same forest, with a plan for revenge that threatens all of Elfhame…

Puck Auditions

Auditions will take place Wednesday January 15th and Thursday, January 16th 2025 at 7:30 pm at The Mill Arts Centre.

Puck auditions will fall into 3 sections – Movement Workshop/Warm Up, Group Auditions, and Monologues.

to access all audition materials, including Character Profiles, Monologue information, Scripts, and a Rehearsal Schedule.

What do I need for the audition?

Please bring comfortable clothing, shoes/trainers you can move in and a copy of your prepared monologue from the suggested ones within these materials if the character you’re looking to audition for requires one. 

To expedite the audition process, it would also be helpful for you to have already completed your audition slip prior to arrival. These auditions will be open, so that no time is wasted calling people into the audition space as this is quite a large cast and we need to be time efficient. Also, please feel free to directly or indirectly reference the profile sheet provided within all sections of the audition. 

Click the headings below to learn more about each part of the auditions.

It’s really important that the fairies and humans move differently, and whilst I’m not expecting the fairies to be professional dancers – the stamina and energy required to fulfil these roles is very important. So the first twenty minutes will be a group warm up and movement exercise. Inspired by Laban movements, we’ll be doing a Puckish take on a parade. Prepare to get silly with it. 

Below are the scenes we’ll be running during this section, feel free to familiarize yourself with the material beforehand. Where scenes run a little long, I’ve included excerpts (in the linked material) which should help me with my casting. This will not be an off book audition, but where the verse may be complicated – please speak to me before or after auditions about your concerns. 

For those auditioning for Porcini and Girolle, you’ll be reading for other fairies as the portrayal will be different, but it should still be a good representation of what the actor needs to apply themselves to the role.  

Character Auditioning ForSceneMonologue Required
Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Moth, Cobweb, Starling, Hawthorne, Porcini, Girolle.Act 1, Scene 1No
PuckAct 1, Scene 1, Act 2 Scene 1 Yes
Lover, Nico, Daphne, Hippolytus, Alistair, AnatoleAct 1 Scene 8 [Excerpt]No
Titania, Oberon, The Redcap KingAct 2, Scene 5 [Excerpt]Yes
BottomAct 2 Scene 1No

If you are not intending to audition for one of the 4 roles listed, you’re free to leave – or you can stay to support your fellow players. 

The monologue performed must be one of the recommended monologues (in the linked material), as each shows a range of skills required to play the roles of Titania, Oberon, The Redcap King and Puck. Do not feel the need to be off book for these monologues, but please be prepared to repeat certain sections under direction. Whilst they do not directly link to specific characters, each monologue provided explores power in some form, and requires a strong understanding of pacing, gravitas and diction – which are the key skills I’ll require from actors within these roles.