2 0 2 6 - A U D I T I O N
The 2026 production will be The Merry Wives of Windsor.
All parts are available.
A B O U T T H E P L A Y
This play is the only comedy of Shakespeare’s to be set in 16th Century England and the only one of his
plays to be named solely after female characters. It is a tale of lust, love, virtuousness, honour, trickery,
resilience, disguise, deception, jealousy, rivalry, romantic confusion, social status, go-betweens,
friendship and honesty – not necessarily in that order!
Falstaff, down on his luck decides to woo the virtuous Mistresses Page and Ford. They decide to trick
Falstaff by pretending to go along with his plans. Consequently he gets tipped into the Thames and
beaten by Master Ford (who is extremely jealous and tries to discover his wife in a compromising
situation with Falstaff by disguising himself as Mr Brooke). The final trick to be played on Falstaff
involves the entire town and takes place in Windsor Forest, with Falstaff dressed as Herne the Hunter.
In the meantime, Anne Page who is now of marriageable age, is being wooed by three suitors, Master
Slender, Doctor Caius and Master Fenton. The rivalry between Slender and Caius results in a duel
being arranged. Mistress Quickly plays her part in all this by acting as go-between for all of Anne’s
suitors – although they each think she is acting solely on their behalf.
Of course, as with other Shakespeare ‘Rom-Coms’ All’s Well That Ends Well.
It is very much an ensemble piece with lots of good interactions between the characters and will rely
heavily on good comic timing, energy and, just as importantly, the cast having a good time.
A U D I T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N
We hold relaxed and informal auditions, open to all. You can come on either of the audition dates –
or both, should you feel so inclined. We’ll provide tea, coffee and pastries, and will have copies of the
script available for use on the day. We are aiming to have the play fully, or almost fully, cast for our first
rehearsal on 28th February. None of the parts have been pre-cast.
Auditions will be held on Saturday 14th February and Saturday 21st February from 10:00 to 13:00 at Walthamstow School for Girls, Church Hill, Walthamstow, E17 9RZ and are open to anyone who is interested in performing Shakespeare in this most magical of settings.
We do not expect you to have learnt a piece, but please do familiarise yourself with the play and the characters and their part in plot. Although the majority of lines fall to about six characters in this play, each and everyone of the others are very involved in the ‘goings-on’ and are extremely important to a successful production.
We will provide copies of the script to use on the day: if you are coming along, please drop us a line at greekplayers.production@gmail.com so we can make sure there are sufficient scripts and refreshments for everyone.
W H E R E
Walthamstow School for Girls, Church Hill, E17 9RZ
Use the main school entrance. Someone will be in the foyer or on reception to show you to the
rehearsal room and provide the lanyard we wear while on school property.
W H E N
Saturday 14th Feb and Saturday 21st Feb 10:00 – 13:00
Please aim to arrive as close to 10 as possible so we can make a prompt start and have enough time
for everybody.
T R A V E L A N D P A R K I N G
The school is a short walk from Walthamstow Central, which is accessible by tube, London Overground
and several bus routes. There is parking at the rear of the school. The car park is accessed from
Woodbury Road, entrance on the bend. There, we can use the rear car park, which was clearly once a
tennis court. It is then a 2 minute walk back to the main entrance.
C O N T A C T
If you are coming along, drop us a line at greekplayers.production@gmail.com so we can provide
enough refreshments and scripts.
Any problems on the day? Call or Text Pam 07930 603 308 or Mark 07847 147 296
A U D I T I O N P I E C E S
For a list of roles, descriptions, and for the audition pieces, please see this document.
For Shallow, Slender and Evans: Act 1 Scene 1, lines 1-45
For Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym and Pistol: Act 1 Scene 3, lines 16-53
For Mistress Quickly, Rugby and Doctor Caius: Act 1 Scene 4, lines 30-70
For Master Ford: Act 2 Scene 2, lines 242-260
For Master Page, Doctor Caius and Host: Act 3 Scene 2, lines 51-52 and 59-64
For Master Page, Fenton and Mistress Page: Act 3 Scene 4, lines 61-71
For Master Fenton and Anne Page: Act 3 Scene 4, lines 1-20
For Mistress Ford and Mistress Page: Act 4 Scene 2, lines 7-37
R E H E A R S A L S
We rehearse on Saturday mornings 10:00-13:00 at Walthamstow School for Girls, every week (except Easter Saturday) from February to production week, outside in the theatre when the weather good, inside if not. Rehearsals will be held every Saturday (except Easter Saturday).
K E Y D A T E S
Auditions: 14 Feb 2026 and 21 Feb 2026
Rehearsals: will be held every Saturday except Easter Saturday
All day dress: 18 Jul 2026
Copped Hall: 19 Jul 2026
Tech rehearsal: 20 Jul 2026
Dress rehearsal: 21 Jul 2026
Performances: 22 – 25 Jul 2026
We also welcome people who are interested in working backstage. This involves stage management, costume, lighting, front-of-house, hair, make-up, and a myriad of other tasks which crop up when least expected.
The production week is Saturday 18 July to Saturday 25 July inclusive, including a performance in the gardens of Copped Hall, a restored country house.
If you have any questions or would like more information about us, please contact Pamela at: greekplayers.production@gmail.com
Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as much as possible.
Anyone who is interested can be involved.