Theatre-lovers can take part in the first reading of a new play in Penrith on Tuesday.
Montmorency has been adapted by Penrith resident Tash Binder — who writes under the name of Natasha Mikaela — from an award-winning book written by Eleanor Updale, who is married to Radio 4 broadcaster James Naughtie.
Action occurs both above and below the streets of Victorian London, with the city’s stinking sewerage system almost taking on a life of its own, in the play which will be premiered by Penrith Players at the town’s Playhouse from May 31 to June 3.
But before that can happen, a cast with a minimum of 10 actors of all ages must be found.
There is a first read through of the play tomorrow, January 10, in the Penrith Playhouse bar, starting at 7pm, which is open to anybody who is interested in getting involved.
Open auditions will then be held at the Playhouse from 7pm on January 17.
Tash said: “Although there are technically seven roles for men, three of those roles can be played by any gender. I am aware that sometimes it’s tricky to cast plays, so I wanted to be as inclusive as possible.
“Three of the actors play five different characters each, but they are quite small characters which are on for one scene and then you never see them again.”
The play is set in Victorian London. The year is 1875. Tash said: “It covers the entirety of book one of the Montmorency series as closely as I possibly could to the actual book itself.
“It’s completely new. It has never been done before. There has never been a stage adaptation like this of Montmorency.
“I think it is going to be quite a different visual experience for Penrith theatre-goers. Several scenes happen in London’s underground sewers.”
Previously, Tash, who is a member of North Cumbria Scriptwriters, has had two short 30-minute plays performed at the Penrith theatre, one of which was also performed at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.
Eleanor Updale won the 2004 Blue Peter Prize in The Book I Couldn’t Put Down category for Montmorency and also picked up the Silver Smarties Prize for children’s literature with it.
Tash said: “It was a book that I really enjoyed when I was a young adult. I first read it when I was at school. It wasn’t really like any of the other young adult books, because the protagonist, Montmorency, isn’t a young adult, unlike a lot of the others.
“It really spoke to me as Montmorency is a really enigmatic and charismatic character.”
She said Montmorency is a conman and a thief who comes out of prison.
Tash added: “Montmorency was really badly injured during a failed escape attempt which gets him thrown in prison, so when he comes out of prison he decides that he is going to be a better person.
“He wants all the riches and the spoils that he never had, so he sets about making this new life for himself by conjuring up this character, Montmorency — a very wealthy man about town.
“He uses his alter ego, Scarper, to plunder the riches.
“Montmorency is still a thief — but he is living this double life. Everyone has seen a film that they know the book of and the film is vastly different and it is always a bit disappointing, so I tried to stick as closely to the book as possible.”
