YSCP - York Settlement Community Players

Auditions: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
2022-07-14 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Rd, York, YO23 1NX, United Kingdom
We are delighted to announce that our autumn production at Theatre@41 will be the hit Broadway comedy, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang, directed by Jim Paterson.
Playing with classic Chekhovian situations, but taking them in hilarious new directions that anyone can enjoy, the play tells the story of Vanya and Sonia, who live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up. But their peace is shattered when their movie star sister Masha returns unannounced with her twentysomething toyboy Spike. A weekend of rivalry, regret and raucousness begins…
This is a brilliantly funny play, with six very different roles that are a treat for comic actors who enjoy scratching past the surface to find the sadness underneath – offering the opportunity for “comic acting raised to the level of high art” (New York Times).
CHARACTERS

Vanya (M, 50s) – Resigned to his life, more or less, at least compared to Sonia
Sonia (F, early 50s) – Vanya’s adopted sister who lives with him. Discontented, upset, regretful
Masha (F, 50s) – Their sister. Glamorous and successful globetrotting actress
Spike (M, 20s) – Aspiring actor, sexy, self-absorbed. Masha’s new companion. NB – Actor playing Spike needs to be physically fit and comfortable being in their underwear on stage
Nina (F, early 20s) – Lovely, sincere, would-be actress. Starstruck and energetic
Cassandra (F, any age) – Cleaning lady and soothsayer. Odd, very odd

AUDITION INFO
Auditions will take place at Southlands Methodist Church on:

Thursday 14 July (7.30pm – 9.30pm)
Sunday 17 July (1pm – 4pm)
Tuesday 19 July (7pm – 9.30pm)

You do not need to prepare a monologue. We’ll ask you to perform an extract from the play with a partner, which will be supplied in advance. The play is set in Pennsylvania and you will need to be able to perform (or have ability to learn) a decent American accent. We will provide you with a half hour audition time slot.
To register your interest, please email yorksettlementcommunityplayers@gmail.com with your name, which part you are interested in, a brief overview of your previous acting experience, and any commitments that would make you unavailable during the rehearsal and performance times (see below for more details). Please also specify if you are unable to make any of the audition dates.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO
Rehearsals will run from Sunday 4 September, an average of twice during weekday evenings and one daytime on the weekend. Production week is w/c 31 October, with four performances from 3-5 November. You will need to join York Settlement Community Players in order to be part of the cast.
We can’t wait to hear from you!

Improvisation Techniques led by Paul Birch
2022-06-27 19:00 - 21:30 | Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Rd, York, YO23 1NX, United Kingdom
This workshop led by playwright, practitioner and performer Paul Birch, will look at short-form improvisation familiar to anyone who has watched an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway. Taking the techniques of improvisation teachers such as Spolin, Johnson and Close we will explore ways to create characters and build comic scenes without ever worrying if they are funny or not. Many of the session’s key principles might also be used as a resource for directors and actors in preparation for work on scripted texts.
Paul Birch has made work with and for Audible, Birmingham Rep, City Varieties, Colet Court, Cheltenham Everyman, Leeds Grand, NCEM, Polka, Riding Lights Theatre Co, Sixth Sense, Spiteful Puppet, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and regular collaborations with York Theatre Royal. He specialises in improvisation and has trained in improv at iO Chicago and on the conservatory programme at the legendary Second City.
When: Monday 27 June 2022, 7pm – 9.30pm
Where: Southlands Methodist Church, Room 2
Cost: £10 for YSCP Members, £15 for non-members
Book: To reserve your place, email Maurice Crichton at maurice.crichton@ntlworld.com

Night Secrets
2022-06-20 19:30 - 2022-06-22 20:30 | The Black Swan, 23 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PR, United Kingdom
By Andrew Crowther
Directed by Rosy Rowley
For York Settlement Community Players
‘One. Where’s the car? Two. Who did you pick up? Three. What the hell did you think you were doing?’
Jim has lost Big Frank’s car. And Brian says Big Frank is not happy. And you REALLY want to keep Big Frank happy…
In the early hours of the morning, Jim and Brian go over the chain of events from that fateful night. But what connects is a hitchhiker, a coat, a gun and a phone number? And what is in the boot of that car?
Night Secrets is a laugh-out-loud comedy thriller that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
PERFORMANCES
Join us at The Black Swan (23 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PR).

Monday 20 June, 7.30pm
Tuesday 21 June, 7.30pm
Wednesday 22 June, 7.30pm

TICKETS
Tickets are £5 on the door (cash or card). We’ve introduced reservations order to give you peace of mind that you’ve definitely got a seat. Space is limited at the venue (max 35) so if you’d definitely like to come book early to avoid disappointment! To reserve your spot please email directapproach22@gmail.com; we’ll respond within 24 hours to confirm your place. Please ensure that you arrive at the venue no later than 7.15pm, otherwise your reservation will be void. Please note: there are no physical tickets and you will still pay on the door – reservations are just to guarantee a seat.
THE CAST

Brain | Paul Mason
Jim | Matt Pattison
Gavin | Ray Raper
Brenda | Andrea Mitchell

Auditioning Workshop with Matt Harper-Hardcastle
2022-05-15 14:00 - 17:00 | Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Rd, York, YO23 1NX, United Kingdom
Auditions can be tricky things – what monologue to pick, how to prepare, how to put yourself across in the studio, and with little to no feedback given it is difficult to know where to go next. This workshop aims to give everyone involved not only the tools to feel confident when auditioning, but to be able to leave having trialled speeches and received supportive feedback for your continued development.
This workshop is led by Matt Harper-Hardcastle, a professional theatre maker based in York. He has written work and directed productions for York Theatre Royal, Grand Opera House York, Leeds Grand Theatre, York St John University, Upstage Centre Youth Theatre, Fuse Theatre and Once Seen Theatre Company. Matt is the Artistic Director of his own theatre company, Next Door But One; an award-winning York theatre company with an applied practice focus. Recent work with the company has included his original script Any Mother Would (Great Yorkshire Fringe and York Disability Pride), Laura Wade’s Colder Than Here (York’s Dead Good Festival) and a new adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter for neurodiverse audiences and their families.
Attendees are asked to bring a prepared short monologue of their choice (max 3 minutes), that best represents them as an actor (please bring a printed copy with you too).
When: Sunday 15 May 2022, 2pm – 5pm
Where: Southlands Methodist Church, Room 2
Cost: £10 for YSCP Members, £15 for non-members
Book: To reserve your place, email Maurice Crichton at maurice.crichton@ntlworld.com

Night Secrets (Direct Approach) Auditions
2022-05-03 19:30 - 21:00 | The Black Swan, 23 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PR, United Kingdom
Direct Approach is BACK! And we’re looking for a cast of four to star in Andrew Crowther’s cracking comedy thriller, Night Secrets. This YSCP Direct Approach production will be directed by Rosy Rowley with three performances at the Black Swan pub in York in June (see below for further details).
ROLES
Brian (M): a hard man, 30s/40s/50s
Jim (M): late 30s to mid 50s
Gavin (unspecified gender – androgenous/feminine presentation): 20s
Brenda (F): late 30s to mid 50s
AUDITION INFO
Auditions will take place at The Black Swan (23 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PR) on Tuesday 3 May at 7.30pm. These will be held as group auditions and shouldn’t last any longer than 90 minutes. You will not need to learn or prepare anything in advance.
To book your audition slot, please email directapproach22@gmail.com. Please specify what part/s you would be most interested in auditioning for.
If you would like to audition but cannot make the above date, please email directapproach22@gmail.com and we will try to offer an alternative.
THE PLAY
‘One. Where’s the car? Two. Who did you pick up? Three. What the hell did you think you were doing?’
Jim has lost Big Frank’s car. And Brian says Big Frank is not happy. And you REALLY want to keep Big Frank happy…
In the early hours of the morning, Jim and Brian go over the chain of events from that fateful night. But what connects is a hitchhiker, a coat, a gun and a phone number? And what is in the boot of that car?
Night Secrets is a laugh-out-loud comedy thriller that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
PERFORMANCES
Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 June 2022 (evenings) at The Black Swan pub in York.

Stanislavski Techniques led by Paul Birch
2022-03-30 19:00 - 21:30 | Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Rd, York, YO23 1NX, United Kingdom
This workshop, led by playwright, practitioner and performer Paul Birch, will look at key techniques of influential theatre director Konstantin Stanislavski. In this session, explore practical ways to inventively, and truthfully, approach text and scene work. In particular, Paul will focus on ‘Given Circumstances’, ‘Circles of Attention’, and ‘The Method of Physical Actions’. The perfect workshop for actors looking to hone their craft.
Paul Birch has made work with and for Audible, Birmingham Rep, City Varieties, Colet Court, Cheltenham Everyman, Leeds Grand, NCEM, Polka, Riding Lights Theatre Co, Sixth Sense, Spiteful Puppet, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and regular collaborations with York Theatre Royal. He specialises in improvisation and has trained in improv at iO Chicago and on the conservatory programme at the legendary Second City.
When: Wednesday 30 March 2022, 7pm – 9.30pm
Where: Southlands Methodist Church, Room 2
Cost: £10 for YSCP Members, £15 for non-members
Book: To reserve your place, email Maurice Crichton at maurice.crichton@ntlworld.com

Woman in Mind
2022-02-19 19:45 - 2022-02-26 19:45 | York Theatre Royal, St. Leonard's Place, York, YO1 7HD, United Kingdom
Housewife Susan is stuck. Unfulfilled and neglected in her humdrum marriage, her growing disillusionment with everyday life is brought to a head when she steps on a garden rake and is knocked unconscious. All it takes is a minor concussion for Susan to find herself suddenly surrounded by the ideal fantasy family, handsomely dressed in tennis whites and sipping champagne. But when her real and imaginary worlds collide, those fantasies take on a nightmarish life of their own.
After the success of The Seagull in 2020, York Settlement Community Players (YSCP) return to York Theatre Royal’s Studio with one of Ayckbourn’s most moving and funny plays. Blending humour and pathos, Woman in Mind paints the portrait of a woman on the verge. Book tickets via the York Theatre Royal website.
CAST
Susan – Victoria Delaney
Bill, her doctor – Chris Pomfrett
Gerald, her husband – Paul Toy
Muriel, her sister-in-law – Helen Wilson
Rick, her son – Frankie-Jo Anderson
Andy, her husband – Paul French
Tony, her brother – Neil Vincent
Lucy, her daughter – Amy Hall

This amateur production of “Woman in Mind” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

Christmas Extravaganza 2021
2021-12-10 19:30 - 21:00 | St Lawrence Church Hall
York Settlement Community Players and York Shakespeare Project are joining forces once again for a Christmas Extravaganza 2021. Join us at St Lawrence Church Hall, Lawrence Street on Friday 10 December at 7.30pm.
The idea is for a convivial get together with drink and nibbles. And the evening will feature entertainment, from those who are minded to do a turn.
To reserve your place, it is £5 (members and non-members). Contact maurice.crichton@ntlworld.com who will request payment by 1 December. Your £5 includes a couple of glasses of mulled wine or non alcoholic punch and a mince pie.
This year Judith Ireland is organising the entertainment. This is to be a short, seasonal performance of some kind: a song, a skit, a character sketch, a variety act, a reading, a mime, a speech (or what you will). You could do it solo, as a double act or as part of a group, and be as polished or as impromptu as you choose. To book a slot and bagsy your material (first come first served) contact judeireland19@gmail.com right away so she can begin to put together the programme. How long is a slot? Let Judith have an idea of how long you think it will take you to deliver your material (as short as you like but no more than 6 minutes). Depending on the response she may need you to cut it down. She may have a few suggestions if you want to perform but don’t know what you want to do.
If you like, you are invited to bring something to keep the party going: a drink, a nibble.
Any profits will go to Kitchen for Everyone York (KEY): https://kitchenforeveryoneyork.org/
We look forward to seeing you there!

The 39 Steps
2021-11-11 19:30 - 2021-11-14 14:30 | John Cooper Studio @ 41 Monkgate, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB, United Kingdom
By Arrangement with Edward Snape for Fiery Angel Limited
John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock’s
THE 39 STEPS
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
Presented by York Settlement Community Players
Directed by Harri Marshall
John Cooper Studio @ 41 Monkgate, Thu 11 – Sun 14 November 2021
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters, an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance!
A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure.
ACCESSIBILITY: all performances of The 39 Steps will be captioned via the Difference Engine from Talking Birds (captions delivered to audience members’ own mobile devices). Download the free app, find out more via the Difference Engine website, or email us if you have any further questions.
CAST
Richard Hannay | Aran MacRae
Annabella Schmidt/Pamela/Margaret | Sanna Buck
Clowns | Stephen Wright, Andrew Isherwood, Jim Paterson, Matt Pattison, Matt Lomax, Dan Boyle

This amateur production of “The 39 Steps” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

How the Vote was Won - Zoom Reading
2021-04-30 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
After the roaring success of our first online play reading, The Regina Monologues, last month, YSCP are back for more! We’re looking to cast 2 men and 6 women for a reading of the brilliantly witty Suffragette play, How the Vote Was Won (details about how to get involved below), which will take place on Zoom on Friday 30 April at 7.30pm.
This event is free and open to all.
About the Play
A brilliant ensemble piece, this short Suffragette play is set in the living room of Horace and Ethel Cole in Brixton, London, on the day of a general women’s strike called by Suffragettes because the Government has said that women do not need votes as they are all looked after by men. All the women who have previously supported themselves agree to leave their jobs and homes and instead insist on support from their nearest male relative.
As Horace’s female relatives arrive at his house one after the other, he comes to realize something must be done and rushes to Parliament, along with all the other men in London, to demand “Votes for Women” as soon as possible.’
Packed with witty lines and hilarious observations.
Cast (2 male, 8 female with 2 parts doubling up)

Horace Cole (a clerk, about 30, an English master in his own home).
Ethel (his wife, 22, a pretty, fluffy little woman who could never be bad-tempered, but might be fretful).
Winifred (her sister, a tall, distinguished-looking young woman with a cheerful, capable manner and an emphatic diction which betrays the public speaker). Part doubles up with Molly.
Agatha Cole (Horace’s sister, a weary-looking woman of about 35).
Molly (his niece, a good-looking young girl of about 20). Part doubles up with Winifred.
Madam Christine (his distant relation, about 40, manners elegant, smile charming, speech resolute).
Maudie Spark (his first cousin, a young woman with an aggressively cheerful manner, a voice raucous from much bellowing of music hall songs). Part doubles up with Lily.
Miss Lizzie Wilkins (his aunt, a comfortable, middle-aged body of a type well known to those who live in the less fashionable quarter of Bloomsbury).
Lily (his maid-of-all-work). Part doubles up with Maudie Spark.
Gerald Williams (his neighbour, a smug young man stiff with self-consciousness).

How to get involved
Want to read one of the eight parts? Great! We’d love you to record a short excerpt from the part you’d like to play. All eight excerpts can be viewed here.
You can film yourself or just record your voice, and you don’t have to learn the lines. We’d just like to see how you’d play the part. Please send in your recording to yorksettlementcommunityplayers@gmail.com by Monday 19 April (you can use WeTransfer if the file is really big). We’ll take a look at all the submissions then let you know by Friday 23 April who our cast will be.
If you’re interested in being a virtual audience member, please email Helen Wilson at helensallywilson@aol.com.

The Regina Monologues - Zoom Reading
2021-03-26 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
We’re excited to be hosting a virtual reading of Rebecca Russel and Jenny Wafer’s brilliant play, The Regina Monologues. We’re looking to cast six women for this reading (details about how to get involved below), which will take place on Zoom on Friday 26 March at 7.30pm.
This event is free and open to all.
About the Play
“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived…”
Admired, vilified, de-humanised. Three Catherines, two Annes and a Jane. Six women with one thing in common – marriage to a man called Henry – have passed into historical legend. Of course, it couldn’t happen these days…
Six modern women have also married one man. Their lives are both separate and intertwined as they tell their stories from a room in which they have all once lived. Their experiences – miscarriage, love affairs, betrayal, and a shared loathing of all things ginger – are portrayed with humour, pathos and a great deal of wine.
The plight of those sixteenth century women is personal, poignant and still relevant five hundred years on.
Contains very strong language and adult themes.
Cast (6 female)

Cathy is the discarded wife.
Annie is the faded beauty. Worn out with partying.
Jane is pale and vulnerable with an air of simplistic naivety.
Anna looks older than her years. Striking and intelligent. Wears a wig.
Katie is sometimes vulnerable and childlike, sometimes the assured teenager.
Katherine is the composed widow. She is determined and single minded.

How to get involved
Want to read one of the six parts? Great! We’d love you to record a short speech from the part you’d like to play. All six speeches can be viewed here.
You can film yourself or just record your voice, and you don’t have to learn the lines. We’d just like to see how you’d play the part. Please send in your recording to yorksettlementcommunityplayers@gmail.com by Tuesday 16 March (you can use WeTransfer if the file is really big). We’ll take a look at all the submissions then let you know by Friday 19 March who our cast will be.
If you’re interested in being a virtual audience member, please email Helen Wilson at helensallywilson@aol.com.
