Hello
Thank you for taking the time to have a look at the audition pack. I hope that you will find this
pack useful and that it will give you all the relevant information you need to prepare.
We are really excited about this opportunity and Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are looking
forward to working in rehearsal with the two successful boys at each venue.
We hope to see as many of you as possible at the audition and, if you are undecided about
whether or not to audition, then definately come along and give it a go!
I am the Education and Learning Manager for the Waiting for Godot tour and am looking forward
to meeting as many of you there as possible. I will also be running educational workshops that
you and your school can get involved in, so if this sounds like fun, then ask me for more
information at the audition. Lloyd Wood, the Associate Director of the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Company will be running the auditions on the day.
So download your pack and start practicing!
See you soon!
Alice Driver
Education and Learning Manager
alicedriver@hotmail.com
P.S Make sure you and your family and friends have booked your tickets as they are selling out
fast!
Royal Haymarket Waiting for Godot Audition Pack
What show is launching the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s new season?
The Theatre Royal Haymarket Company is launching its next season with the production of
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot under the artistic directorship of Sean Mathias, staring Sir Ian
McKellen and Patrick Stewart. Waiting for Godot will tour the UK prior to opening in the West
End in April.
When and where is the tour?
The show is set to tour to Malvern Theatre (5th – 14th March), Milton Keynes Theatre (16th – 21st
March), Brighton Theatre Royal (23rd – 28th March 2009), Bath Theatre Royal (30th March – 4th
April), Norwich Theatre Royal (6th – 11th April), Edinburgh King’s Theatre (13th – 18th April),
Newcastle Theatre Royal (20th – 25th April) and the London Theatre Royal Haymarket from 30th
April.
What are we offering?
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is delighted to announce that as part of the Company’s
commitment to involving young people and our close association with Masterclass,
www.masterclass.org.uk, we will be offering the opportunity for two young individuals to take a
featured role alongside the cast of Waiting for Godot. Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart are
looking forward to working in rehearsal with two boys at each venue on tour and we hope that
this opportunity will provide an invaluable learning experience for two young aspiring actors,
looking to take their first steps into the world of performance.
Who are we looking for?
The Company is looking for two boys to play alternate performances and there will be open
auditions for each city. We are looking for two boys to play the part of a 10 year old however
the auditions will be open for those up to 15 years.
When are the auditions?
Milton Keynes Theatre
Edinburgh King’s Theatre
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Bath Theatre Royal
Brighton Theatre Royal
9th – 10th December 2008
11th – 12th December 2008
13th – 14th December 2008
20th – 21st December 2008
24th – 25th January 2009
What time are the auditions?
Milton Keynes Theatre
Edinburgh King’s Theatre
3pm – 8pm (last audition at 7.30pm)
3pm – 8pm (last audition at 7.30pm)
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Bath Theatre Royal
Brighton Theatre Royal
12pm – 8pm (last audition at 7.30pm)
12pm – 8pm (last audition at 7.30pm)
12pm – 8pm (last audition at 7.30pm)
Where will the auditions be held?
Milton Keynes Theatre
Edinburgh King’s Theatre
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Bath Theatre Royal
Brighton Theatre Royal
At the theatre
Founders Room, Festival Theatre
At the theatre
At the theatre
At the theatre
What is the format of the auditions?
Day One of auditions will be Open Auditions.
Day Two will be recalls for successful applicants from the first round.
How do I know if I have got through to the recalls?
You will be called by 10pm, at the latest, on the first day of auditions to let you know what time
you will be needed back for the recalls. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to call
everyone back, so, if you are not called, then we are sorry but you have not been successful.
When do I need to be available?
Every boy auditioning needs to:
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
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Be available for both of the auditions days
The dates of the performance
Be on call for up to two weeks before opening night
Rehearsals will take place the week before the production’s arrival at the venue. They will be
conducted by Paul Warwick-Griffin, the assistant director for the production. Ian McKellen and
Patrick Stewart will then rehearse with the boys on the afternoon before opening night.
How do I prepare for the audition?
All boys interested in auditioning need to fill out the registration form and bring it with them to
the audition. Please make sure you write down a telephone number so that we can contact
you on that day in case we need to recall you. You will need to read through the dialogue and
be familiar with the piece. It is also advisable to read the script before the audition if you can
get your hands on a copy.
What should I wear?
Loose comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear are recommended.
What if I have special access requirements?
If you have any specific access requirements, please contact the theatre directly.
What is the format of the audition?
Each boy will audition in a group of between 10 and 20. Each audition will last for half an hour.
All boys and their parents or guardians are warned that there could be a long wait due to the
numbers auditioning. Bring a good book!
Who should I contact if I have any queries that aren’t answered in the pack:
Milton Keynes Theatre
Edinburgh King’s Theatre
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Bath Theatre Royal
Brighton Theatre Royal
nicolecollarbone@theambassadors.com
caroline.brophy@eft.co.uk
teresa.threadgill@theatreroyal.co.uk
Katharine.wojcik@theatreroyal.org.uk
alicedriver@hotmail.com
What is the play about?
Waiting for Godot follows two consecutive days in the lives of tramps, Vladimir (Patrick Stewart)
and Estragon (Ian McKellen), who divert themselves by clowning around, joking and arguing,
while waiting expectantly and unsuccessfully for the mysterious Godot. Beckett's Waiting for
Godot exploded on to the London stage over 50 years ago when it shocked as many people as
it delighted.
Who is acting in it?
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. They are both renowned Shakespearean actors at Stratfordupon-Avon, in the West End and on Broadway, first worked together in Tom Stoppard’s Every
Good Boy Deserves Favour for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 and more recently in
the X-Men films, as Magneto and Professor X. Each of them has established their own iconic
screen persona, as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and as Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard.
Ian McKellen makes his Beckett debut as Estragon. He will play alongside Patrick Stewart
following their onscreen rivalry in the X-Men films. McKellen has previously collaborated with
Sean Mathias who has directed him as Uncle Vanya, the Captain in Dance of Death and as
Widow Twankey twice. Since he started acting in 1961, he has worked non-stop on stage and
screen. For the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Companies, McKellen has
produced and acted in plays old and new, most recently on the RSC’s world tour as King Lear.
He produced and wrote the screenplay for his Richard III and was nominated for an Oscar for
Gods and Monsters and for Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. He recently played in Coronation
Street and has just completed ITV’s remake of The Prisoner.
Patrick Stewart is currently playing Claudius/Ghost in Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare
Company in Stratford before transferring to the Novello Theatre later this year. Earlier this year
he won an Evening Standard Award, a Critics’ Circle Award, a TMA Theatre Award, a
Theatregoers’ Choice Award nomination, an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, a Laurence
Olivier Award nomination, and a Tony Award nomination for playing the title role in Rupert
Goold’s Chichester Festival Theatre production of Macbeth which subsequently transferred to
the West End and then Broadway. His many other appearances for the RSC include The
Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra both in Stratford and at the Novello Theatre. His other
London theatre credits include A Life in The Theatre and The Masterbuilder and in New York his
credits include Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Ride Down Mount Morgan and The
Tempest. Stewart performed his acclaimed, award winning one-man show, A Christmas Carol,
both in the West End and on Broadway. His many film and television credits include the X-Men
films, Moby Dick, King of Texas and King Lear, as well as his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the Star
Trek series. Stewart was made an OBE in 2001.
The Audition Pieces
Below are two sections of dialogue to choose from for your audition. It is advisable to prepare
both of them, as if you are called back, you will have to perform both of the pieces. You will be
reading for the Boy.
Act One
(Estragon tries to speak, renounces, limps to his place, sits down and begins to take off his boots.
To Boy.) Well?
BOY: Mr. Godot—
VLADIMIR: I've seen you before, haven't I?
BOY: I don't know, Sir.
VLADIMIR: You don't know me?
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: It wasn't you came yesterday?
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: This is your first time?
BOY: Yes Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: Words words. (Pause.) Speak.
BOY: (in a rush). Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won't come this evening but surely
tomorrow.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: Is that all?
BOY: Yes Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: You work for Mr. Godot?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: What do you do?
BOY: I mind the goats, Sir.
VLADIMIR: Is he good to you?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: He doesn't beat you?
BOY: No Sir, not me.
VLADIMIR: Whom does he beat?
BOY: He beats my brother, Sir.
VLADIMIR: Ah, you have a brother?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: What does he do?
BOY: He minds the sheep, Sir.
VLADIMIR: And why doesn't he beat you?
BOY: I don't know, Sir.
VLADIMIR: He must be fond of you.
BOY: I don't know, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: Does he give you enough to eat? (The Boy hesitates.) Does he feed you well?
BOY: Fairly well, Sir.
VLADIMIR: You're not unhappy? (The Boy hesitates.) Do you hear me?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: Well?
BOY: I don't know, Sir.
VLADIMIR: You don't know if you're unhappy or not?
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: You're as bad as myself. (Silence.) Where do you sleep?
BOY: In the loft, Sir.
VLADIMIR: With your brother?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: In the hay?
BOY: Yes Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: All right, you may go.
BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't
you?
BOY: Yes Sir.
He steps back, hesitates, turns and exit running. The light suddenly fails. In a moment it is
night. The moon rises at back, mounts in the sky, stands still, shedding a pale light on the
scene.
The Second dialogue
Act Two
Enter Boy right. He halts. Silence.
BOY: Mister . . . (Vladimir turns.) Mister Albert . . .
VLADIMIR: Off we go again. (Pause.) Do you not recognize me?
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: It wasn't you came yesterday.
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: This is your first time.
BOY: Yes Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: You have a message from Mr. Godot.
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: He won't come this evening.
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: But he'll come tomorrow.
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: Without fail.
BOY: Yes Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: Did you meet anyone?
BOY: No Sir.
VLADIMIR: Two other . . . (he hesitates) . . . men?
BOY: I didn't see anyone, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: What does he do, Mr. Godot? (Silence.) Do you hear me? #
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: Well?
BOY:He does nothing, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: How is your brother?
BOY: He's sick, Sir.
VLADIMIR: Perhaps it was he came yesterday.
BOY: I don't know, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: (softly). Has he a beard, Mr. Godot?
BOY: Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR: Fair or . . . (he hesitates) . . . or black?
BOY: I think it's white, Sir.
Silence.
VLADIMIR: Christ have mercy on us!
Silence.
BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw me and that . . . (he hesitates) . . .
that you saw me. (Pause. Vladimir advances, the Boy recoils. Vladimir halts, the Boy halts.
With sudden violence.) You're sure you saw me, you won't come and tell me tomorrow
that you never saw me!
Silence. Vladimir makes a sudden spring forward, the Boy avoids him and exits running.
WAITING FOR GODOT AUDITION APPLICATION FORM
ABOUT YOU
Name:
Date of Birth:
Age at time of application:
Year Group in School/College:
Name and Address of your school/college:
YOUR CONTACT DETAILS
Home Address:
Home Tel:
Mobile Tel:
Email:
Name of Parent/Guardian
How do you find out about the audition?
Would you be interested in coming along to workshops that we are running during the run?