Hordern Ciani are Back at The Leatherhead Theatre to Develop Local Talent

Following their successful April season, and the return of repertory theatre to its home at the old Thorndike, Hordern Ciani are back at The Leatherhead Theatre this November with three brand new plays. To celebrate, the company will be holding open auditions to find two young local people to play roles in the season's family show, The Railway Children.

The company's aims are to bring high quality professional theatre back into the community by restoring the traditional repertory system. Producer Katherine Mount commented "It has been such a pleasure to work in this incredible theatre. It was built to house rep and is steeped in theatre history which we are learning from at every turn. We would now like to reach out to the community and help to develop some young local talent. Rep always was the training ground for our country's actors and we are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to some young people at the very start of their potential careers".

On the 13th October, the team will be hosting open auditions at The Leatherhead Theatre for young people interested in gaining experience of working with a professional theatre company. The selected youngsters will play the roles of Phyllis and Jim. Phyllis is the youngest of the three children and appears throughout the play. Jim arrives at the end of The Railway Children when the character is rescued after falling on to the train track. They will have the opportunity to work alongside the experienced company of actors and crew, and learn all about the different aspects of rehearsing and staging a professional play.

The auditions are open to candidates based in Surrey between the ages of 16 and 21 and no theatre experience or training is needed. Potential auditionees should keep an eye on the website www.leatherheadrep.com for news of how to register and download scripts for the auditions.

The Leatherhead Rep Season kicks off on Tuesday 6th November with a Gala Performance of Michael Aitken's stage adaptation of his hit TV sitcom Waiting For God which runs until Saturday 10th November. This is followed by The Railway Children, written by Edith Nesbitt and adapted as a stage musical by Dave Simpson, which opens on Tuesday 13th November. The season concludes with Alan Ayckbourn's brilliant Christmas comedy Season's Greetings. Tickets are now available online via the website www.theleatheheadtheatre.com or from the Box Office on 01372365141.

Full casting will be announced shortly.