AUDITION NOTICE: Appearing This Evening, April 4, 2026

Ottawa Little Theatre presents

Appearing This Evening
Written by: Anthony Keenleyside

Directed by: Karen Wood

Production Dates:
July 15 – August 1, 2026 at 7:30 pm (Wednesdays – Saturdays) and matinees on July 19 & 26 at 2:30 pm (Sundays).
All actors must be available for all performances. 

Open Call Audition:
Auditions will be held on:

Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to fill out your audition card – onstage readings will commence at 1:00pm sharp.  

Callbacks, if needed, will be held Monday, April 6, 2026 at 7:00 pm.

Audition Location:
Ottawa Little Theatre
400 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa
(Please use 235 Besserer Street entrance.)

Backstage Orientation:
Simultaneously with the audition, A BACKSTAGE ORIENTATION and tour of the theatre will be offered by a member of the Volunteer Committee for anyone interested in working behind the scenes on any future production. Descriptions of each of the various Volunteer Positions can be found in the Volunteer section of this website.

Synopsis:
It’s opening night of Henry VIII, Wives VI, but the leading actor hasn’t arrived! In true community theatre spirit, a substitute is roped in; the cast and crew step up, and hilarity ensues – until police arrive to investigate the mysterious disappearance and everyone in the company appears to have a motive! A love letter to the stage by an Ottawa playwright and OLT actor!

Time Commitment:

• We will be rehearsing throughout April, May, June and July.
• At the end of April, rehearsals are Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday (afternoons or evenings TBD).
• At the end of May we switch to Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday (afternoons or evenings TBD).
• Those auditioning will have to declare their availability at auditions. Once the rehearsal schedule is set, accounting for any declared absences, each cast member must commit to being at all rehearsals, within reason.
• All actors must be available for all performances (see production dates above).

On Casting:

We are seeking to cast 6 women and 5 men for this production.

Character Descriptions

Please note the following ages and identifiers are just suggestions. We welcome anyone and everyone who is interested in auditioning to please audition for the role they are interested in. 

Katherine O’Faragon: (Female-identifying. 40’s plus). Irascible, short fuse, sarcastic, seen-it-all director. Commands the stage at all times, tends to bark orders.

Howard Brandon: (Male-identifying. 20’s plus). Stage manager (mostly offstage voiceover), generally clueless, suspiciously laid back. Generally a step behind everyone else, but not troubled by this. Doubles as the cast member Cranmer in Act 1, end of Scene 8, Scene 9, and Act II, Scene 1.

Jane Seamoore: (Female-identifying. Mid 30’s-50). Assistant to the director, very competent but quite intimidated by Katherine.

Anne Bullen: (Female-identifying. Mid 30’s – 50). Queen in the play, currently living with Arthur, who is missing. Outwardly very successful, professional looking, but her personal life is a series of train wrecks.

Henry Sevensson: (Male-identifying. 40-60). President of the theatre’s Board, experienced actor, ex live-in of Anne’s. Wears glasses. A nice, understated guy.

Grace Avery: (Female-identifying. Late teens – mid 20’s). Production assistant, young, very insecure. Tends to hold things in, except when she suddenly lets everything out (twice).

Mary Carey: (Female-identifying. 40-70). Senior costume fitter, older, more serious than, and frequently shocked by Liz.

Liz Wooster: (Female-identifying. 20-40). Junior costume fitter, younger and funnier than Mary. Enjoys double entendres.

Thomas Sampson: (Male-identifying. 50-70). Props designer, older, a bit of an OCD, very deliberate fuddy-duddy. Doubles as the cast member Norfolk in Act 1, end of Scene 8, Scene 9 and Act II, Scene 1.

Inspector Williams: (Male-identifying. Mid 50’s plus). Municipal police officer, humourless, and all business.

Constable Edmunds: (Male-identifying. 40-60). Williams’ assistant, master of the malapropism and having no filter, but not a caricature. He is in genuine awe of community theatre and its participants.

Audition Sides:

Click the links below to download the scenes that will be used at the audition. Hard copies of these sides will be provided at the audition.

Side 1 – Katherine, Howard, Jane
Side 2 – Howard
Side 3 – Anne
Side 4 – Henry, Anne
Side 5 – Henry, Katherine, Jane
Side 6 – Thomas
Side 7 – Liz, Mary
Side 8 – Edmunds, Katherine, Grace
Side 9 – Edmunds
Side 10 – Williams, Anne
Side 11 – Edmunds, Williams