AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Director Aleta Bowman is excited to announce auditions for our upcoming production of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express! Auditions will be Monday, July 28 and Tuesday, July 29 at 7:00PM at RCCT. Auditions will consist of cold reads from the script. 

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again. 

  Character Descriptions 

• HERCULE POIROT Male presenting, Belgian accent, any ethnicity. Agatha Christie’s most famous detective. Poirot is fastidious, thorough, a touch ridiculous, and incredibly observant and intelligent. He is both arrogant and humble      to fault. He is an observer of people, astute at analyzing why people behave as they do, and firmly believes that most crimes can be solved primarily by observation, psychology, and thinking them through. He values intelligence and the rule of law above all else. 
• MONSIEUR BOUC Male presenting, 40-65, Belgian accent, any ethnicity. The owner of Wagon Lit, Orient Express. Bouc is a middle-aged man with a youthful vigor and attitude. Gregarious, honest and forthright, he puts his friends and customers above profit, although he is concerned about his company's image. He is not a match for Poirot in intelligence, however. 
• MARY DEBENHAM Female presenting, mid 20s-30s, English (standard) accent, any ethnicity. A governess. Anxious, but also cool and determined, Mary has a certain sadness about her, as well as many secrets. She is carrying on a      secret affair with Colonel Arburthnot. 
• COLONEL ARBUTHNOT Male presenting, 30s, Scottish accent, any ethnicity. A military man of the old fashioned type, possibly old-money, and used to being obeyed without question. He is strong, charismatic, but also problematic in some of his personal views. Has a temper. 
• HECTOR MCQUEEN Male presenting, 23-35, American accent (any), any ethnicity. Personal assistant and secretary to Samuel Ratchett. McQueen is a nervous character with a stutter that appears when he is especially anxious. Seems      rather new to his profession. Talks a bit too much. 
• MICHEL Male presenting, 40s, French accent, any ethnicity. Competent and organized, Michel is the conductor for the first class carriages of the Orient Express. Handles himself well in a crisis, and is very good at his job. 
• PRINCESS DRAGOMIROFF Female presenting, 60s-70s, Russian accent, any ethnicity. Displaced Russian nobility. The Princess is a battleship: determined, arrogant, and accustomed to getting her way. She travels a great deal and      holds very decided opinions.
• GRETA OHLSSON Female presenting, 30s, Swedish accent, any ethnicity. A Catholic missionary and baby nurse, currently serving as a companion to Princess      Dragomiroff. She would like to help small children in Africa. Deeply devout. This character may be funny, but should not be played as a caricature for laughs. 
• COUNTESS ANDRENYI Female presenting, 25-35, Hungarian accent, any ethnicity. In addition to being married to a count (and thus, nobility), she also is a doctor. Beautiful, educated, charming, and intelligent enough to match wits with Poirot. Must also be able to do an American accent. 
• HELEN HUBBARD Female presenting, 45-60, American accent, any ethnicity. Not exactly what she seems, Hubbard comes across as a gregarious, loud, obnoxious American busybody who has been married multiple times. Must be able to sing and do a little dancing. Should also be able to pull off a cooler, more calculated version of this character with a very standard or even cultured American accent. 
• SAMUEL RATCHETT Male presenting, 35-50, American accent. A dangerous and unlikable man, full of entitlement, with a hair trigger temper. Must have a forceful personality, and come across as someone not to be trusted or crossed. As the murder victim, this actor may be required to remain on stage and still for an extended period of time.