• Seeking two women (ages 50 plus) for Pen Pals
• Auditions and Performances at CVLT’s River Street Playhouse, 56 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH
• Performance Dates: August 21, 22, 28, 29 at 7:30 PM and August 23 and 30 at 2:00 PM
• Rehearsals to begin mid July and will run M-Thurs evenings 7-9.
• Come prepared to read from the script.

Bernie and Mags live in two different countries. They’ve never met, yet they are best friends because they’ve been pen pals for more than fifty years. Since they were teenagers, they’ve shared every aspect of their lives with each other. The trivial bits, the most intimate details, all the happiness, all the heartache. Even though Bernie lives in New Jersey and Mags is from England, the women are closer to each other than anyone else in the world. Pen Pals is an extraordinary story about the enduring power of friendship and the importance of connection.

Summary

Sibling rivalry, adultery, and dungeons – The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, is a modern-day classic.
Comedic in tone, dramatic in action – the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family, who are locked
in a free-for-all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom. The queen, and wealthiest woman in the
world, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King
Henry II. Let out only for holidays, the play centers around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they
fight over both a kingdom and King Henry’s paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says,
“Every family has its ups and downs,” and this royal family is no exception.

This is a great small-ensemble show, with many plot twists and turns – almost a “medieval murder
mystery” without the “murder.”

This intimate production will be presented in CVLT’s River Street Playhouse, a 50-60 seat “black box”
theatre adjacent to Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.

History

The Lion in Winter premiered at the Ambassador Theatre in New York City on March 3, 1966. Directed
by Noel Willman, the production featured Dennis Cooney, Suzanne Grossman, Rosemary Harris, Robert
Preston, James Rado, Bruce Scott and Christopher Walken. A revival premiered at Criterion Center Stage
Right on March 11, 1999. Directed by Michael Mayer, this production starred Laurence Fishburne as
Henry II and Stockard Channing as Eleanor, who would win a Tony Award for her portrayal.

Audition Dates and Location

• Sunday, July 26, 7pm to 10pm
• Monday, July 27, 7pm to 10pm
• CVLT Main Stage, 40 River Street Chagrin Falls
• Please note that video auditions are not being accepted for this production.

Production Dates

• First Read-Through: Sunday, September 13
• Rehearsals: Sunday thru Thursday evenings (generally 7pm to 9:30) starting Sunday, September
  13
• Performances: Friday, October 30, 7:30pm
• Sunday, November 1, 2pm (note: no Sat. performance first week)
• Friday, November 6, 7:30pm
• Saturday, November 7, 7:30pm
• Sunday, November 8, 2pm closing matinee

Audition Requirements

No preparation necessary. Audition will consist of cold readings from the script.

Casting Information – Available Roles

The play is set in a fictional Christmas court of Henry II, King of England, at his castle in Chinon (France)
in 1183.

Casting 1 woman and four men.
Please note that the roles of HENRY and ELEANOR have already been cast.

• Alais Capet
  Female, Age Range: can play 20-30 (the character as written is 23)
  The sister of Philip Capet, Alais is of the royal blood of France and would thus, through a
  contracted marriage with Richard, ally the two strong countries of France and England. She was
  raised as a child by Eleanor, and is the mistress of Henry. She is no less a pawn in the
  machinations of Henry and Eleanor than are their sons.
• John
  Male, Age Range: can play 16-20
  The youngest of the three sons of Henry and Eleanor, John is described as pimply and an
  immature boy. He is, however, his father’s choice for the crown, and he uses this knowledge in
  taunting his two brothers.
• Geoffrey
  Male, Age Range: 20-30
  The middle son of Henry and Eleanor, Geoffrey has no one fighting for his right to any throne,
  and he usually accepts his fate, but his does rankle him that he usually is not considered—in any
  matters of the heart or family. He is described as the most cerebral of the three boys.
• Richard
  Male, Age Range: can play 25-35
  The oldest of the three sons of Henry and Eleanor, Richard in later life becomes known as Richard
  the Lion Heart. He is his mother’s choice for the next king, and is the best warrior of the three
  sons. He expects to inherit the crown from the aging Henry, who has not yet declared his heir.
  This provides one of the central conflicts of he play.
• Philip Capet
  Male, Age Range 20-35
  The king of France, Philip is the brother of Alais. He is young, but has already become a strong
  monarch, although no match for Henry. His desire is to marry Alais to Richard and have Richard
  crowned king, thus cementing a relationship between the two countries.

Questions: Please email the director at donbernardo@sbcglobal.net