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AUDITION NOTICE

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Lamplighters Theatre is holding auditions for:

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CALENDAR GIRLS 
 by TIM FIRTH

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DIRECTOR: Mary L. Smith
PRODUCER: Katrina Peterson
 

SHOW RUN DATES: Friday, August 28 through Sunday, September 20

INDUSTRY NIGHT: Monday September 7 at 7:30 pm
PERFORMANCES: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2pm.  
Saturdays, September 5 and September 19 at 2pm; no evening performance.

Please reserve September 25 through 27 for a possible show extension.

Auditions will be held at Lamplighters Theatre, 5915 Severin Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942

AUDITION DATES: 
Monday, June 15, 2026 by appointment from 6:00 to 9:00pm.
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 by appointment from 6:00 to 9:00pm.

CALLBACKS: Thursday, June 18, 2026: 6:00 – 9:00 on the Lamplighters Theatre Stage.
Actors should be prepared to attend the whole audition. The Director may choose to allow an actor to leave early

with prior agreement or if the Director is satisfied with the audition.

Actors invited to the callback will receive an invitation via phone call and email.

Actors should be prepared to read scenes from the play, and perhaps to sing or play the piano. Sides and

sheet music will be emailed to actors prior to the callback.

Bring your schedule of conflicts so you can accurately note them on your application

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All tech/dress rehearsals and performances are mandatory.

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AUDITION INFORMATION: This show is open to auditioners aged 18+.

All roles are open for inclusivity and diversity.

Lamplighters is an all-volunteer organization.

Please bring a resume and a headshot.

Auditioners should prepare a favorite monologue showcasing their skills and using a British accent. **

The character Cora “plays “piano and has the best singing voice. If you wish to showcase your voice, sing 16 bars of a song a cappella.

SYNOPSIS
 

Time and place: Current. Knapeley Village, Yorkshire.

When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women's Institute members to pose “nude” with them for an "alternative" calendar. A hospital porter, Lawrence, volunteers to be their photographer. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire. To their surprise, the press soon descends on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales. The calendar is a success, but Chris and Annie's friendship is put to the test under the strain of their newfound fame.
The play is based on the true story of eleven WI (Women's Institute) members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund. Calendar Girls has since become the fastest-selling play in British theatre history.
**Although the play takes place in Yorkshire, the women come from all over the UK, so strict adherence to a Yorkshire accent is not a necessity and in fact women with accents from all over the world have made the roles their own (per a note from the playwright). Please use a British accent from any part of the country in your audition. If you are unable to do so, this is not necessarily a roadblock to being cast. (per the playwright)

Roles Available
*This character will be modeling for the calendar with the illusion of nudity during the performance. 
 

• Chris* - play 40s -60s (Lead) You want Chris at your party. She will talk to people she doesn't know, find things to say to fill the silences and generate laughter. Without Chris in her life, Annie would be better behaved, her life less fun.

• Annie* - play 40s-60s. (Lead) Annie will join in mischief but is at heart more conformist and less confrontational than Chris. She has enough edge to be interesting, and enough salt not to be too sweet.

• Cora* - play 40s-50s. (Lead) Cora's past is the most eclectic, her horizons broadened by having gone to college. She is the joker in the pack but never plays the fool. Her wit is deadpan. Sings several times throughout the show.

• Jessie* - play 60s/70s. (Lead) A lover of life, Jessie doesn't bother with cosmetics - her elixir of life is bravery. Jessie goes on roller coasters and will correct your grammar.  

• Celia* - play 35-55. (Lead) Celia is a woman more at home in a department store than a church hall. She's rebellious in a way that sets her apart from her peer group. 

• Ruth* - play 40s. (Lead) Marie's right-hand woman. Eager to please but not a rag doll. Has a strong emotional arc, journeying from emotionally abused to the genuine self-confidence of a woman happy in her own skin.   

• Marie – play 50's. (Supporting) The WI is a trophy to her, which justifies her entire existence. There is a lingering part of Marie that would love to be on that calendar.

• Brenda - play 40s/50s. (Supporting) A dull guest speaker.  

• John - play 50s. (Supporting) Annie's husband. John is a human sunflower. Not a saint. Not a hero. Just the kind of man you'd want in your car when crossing America. When he dies it feels like someone somewhere turned a light off.

• Rod - play  50s. (Supporting) Chris's husband. You have to be a certain type of guy to stick with Chris and Rod loves it. He can give back what he gets, and has a deadpan humor.  John was truly his mate, even if they met through their wives.

• Lawrence  - play late 20's. (Supporting) The photographer director. Hesitant without being nerdy. Patient. Shy, but enough wit to make a joke. Arranges the shots but only sees the photos.  

• Liam – play late 20’s – 30’s. (Supporting- may be doubled with Lawrence) The Commercial Director. Concerned with the bottom line. Oblivious to personal concerns.

• Lady Cravenshire - play 60s/70’s (Supporting) Lady Cravenshire doesn't mean to be so patronizing but those girls from the WI seem from another world. When she makes an entrance, she makes an entrance. She is not a tweed wearer.

• Elaine - play 20's. (Supporting) A young beautician.

 
DISCLAIMER - NUDITY: One of the key elements of this play is the calendar photo shoot referred to in the title. This scene, and all accompanying show photography, will be carefully and professionally choreographed and arranged by collaboration between an Intimacy Coordinator and the Director. As a result of ongoing conversations and planning, all characters involved in the scene will be wearing artfully concealed modesty garments and holding props to ensure that each actor’s modesty is protected at all times in their various states of undress. PLEASE NOTE that auditioning for the role of any character appearing in the calendar shoot will be understood as an agreement to participate in the scene as directed, and to appear in a tastefully directed state of undress that WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED and WILL APPEAR LIVE IN THE SCENE ONSTAGE. If you are uncomfortable appearing in this scene or participating in this crucial way, please tell the director at the audition or call back that you are not auditioning for the roles of CHRIS, ANNIE, CORA, JESSIE, CELIA, or RUTH.