The Welkin

Production Company
Vital Spark theatre
Producer(s)
Nancy Caldwell
Director(s)
Joan Bryans
Casting Director(s): 
Joan Bryans
Union Status
Non-Union
Project Type
Theatre / Live Performance
Student Production
No
Compensation Details

None

Audition Date(s)
Nov. 14 and 15, 1-4pm
Audition Location
St.Mary’s Kerrisdale, 2490 West 37th Ave., Vancouver
Shoot / Performance Date(s)
April 29- May 16th, 2027, Thurs-Sun
Shoot / Performance Location(s)
Jericho Arts Centre,n1675 Discovery Street, Vancouver
Submission Deadline
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Submission Instructions

TO APPLY: please forward your resume and headshot to Joan Bryans at j.bryans@telus.net, together with the character you would like to audition for.

Sides are available on the website at https://vitalsparktheatre.com/auditions. The play is set in the Norfolk/Sussex border in England and we’ll eventually get somewhere close to that accent but for auditions a soft English accent is fine.

We welcome performers of all ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds.

Project Synopsis
A storm is gathering. Twelve women hold the fate of one condemned soul in their hands. Set in rural England in 1759, The Welkin begins with a simple question: is Sally Poppy pregnant? If she is, the law may spare her from the gallows. If she is not, she will hang. What follows is a savage, hilarious, and deeply human battle between twelve women dragged from their kitchens and fields to decide the truth.
Additional Information & Safety Protocols: 

REHEARSALS:
Start Date: March 13th, 2027. I would like to meet the week before on Sat 6th to distribute scripts and have a relaxed introduction.
Rehearsal Location: St. Mary’s, Kerrisdale

Character 1
Judith Brewer
Age
50-58
Gender
Female
Description
Menopausal. Fond of husband but has been having dreams of a young man.
Character 2
Sarah Hollis
Age
40-50
Gender
Female
Description
hasn’t spoken since birth of child 20 years ago. Seems happy but holds a huge secret.
Character 4
Ann Lavender
Age
23-30
Gender
Female
Description
lives in gentile poverty with husband who ignores her and 4 kids, youngest is teething... Well educated.
Character 5
Mary Middleton
Age
25
Gender
Female
Description
pregnant, 5 kids, farmer’s wife, works in the fields, earthy, superstitious
Additional Characters

Kitty Givens, 23-8, Scottish, has had 6 kids, 4 living. Perky.