ROALD DAHL S THE WITCHES 18 th -21 st April 2018 SYNOPSIS ACT I Grandmother s parlour, Norway Boy s parents have been killed in a car accident he is living with his grandmother in Norway Grandmother tells Boy all about witches the Display Witch appears in another part of the stage and demonstrates A lawyer appears & tells Grandmother that, according to his parents wishes, Boy must complete his education in England A ship s rail Grandmother & Boy travel to England A sailor announces the ship s arrival The tree-house Boy makes friends with the lad next door & they start to build a tree house One day, on his own, Boy is working on the tree house when a Tree Witch appears The witch tries to entrap Boy but he stamps on her foot & she goes Boy tells Grandmother about the witch Boy s family home Grandmother develops pneumonia A Doctor & Nurse attend the Doctor says Grandmother needs a holiday to help her recover Entrance to the Hotel Magnificent (exterior) Bruno makes fun of the Doorman Various witches arrive for their AGM & enter the hotel Bruno s father arrives & enters the hotel Boy arrives with his pet mice in a box Bruno s mother arrives, is frightened by the pet mice & enters the hotel The Grand High Witch enters, looking glamorous She gives Bruno some chocolate & asks him to come to the ballroom later for more chocolate
The hotel ballroom Boy plays with his pet mice behind a screen whilst the staff set out chairs for the meeting The witches enter & remove their wigs they are all bald Witch 2 raises some objections & is frazzled The Grand High Witch explains she has created a magic potion that will turn all the children in England into mice Bruno appears & is turned into a mouse Boy gives himself away & is also turned into a mouse ACT II Corner of the ballroom (giant scale) Boy & Bruno are dressed in mouse costumes Boy persuades Bruno that they are both mice & must find Grandmother They set off through the hotel, avoiding people & tumbling down the stage steps into the hall when they hear a cat s miaow The hotel staircase They make their away across the front of the hall until they come to the bottom of a staircase They eventually manage to climb the stairs Grandmother s hotel bedroom Boy explains to Grandmother what s happened to him & Bruno They agree the Grand High Witch s plans must be stopped They realise the Grand High Witch is in the room below Grandmother puts puppet Boy into her knitting bag & lowers him over the balcony Beneath the Grand High Witch s bed (giant scale) Boy meets the Frog under the bed The Grand High Witch peeks under the bed, shouts at the Frog but doesn t see Boy The Frog tells Boy where the phials of potion are kept Boy takes one & exits The hotel dining room Grandmother comes in for dinner with the puppet Boy & Bruno Puppet Boy scuttles across the front of the stage & exits with the phial The witches enter & are seated The hotel kitchen The Head & Second Chefs prepare the meals Puppet Boy is seen on the dresser The Chefs put dinner on some plates The Head Waiter enters with a trolley & orders green pea soup
Puppet Boy manages to pour the potion into the soup tureen The soup tureen is put on the trolley & wheeled out The Chefs see puppet Boy slapstick routine The hotel dining room Puppet Boy scuttles back across the stage The soup is served to the witches, the tureen being left in the middle of the table Bruno s parents arrive, looking for Bruno Grandmother explains he s been turned into a mouse this does not go down well The witches realise they ve been poisoned & start turning into mice The Grand High Witch removes her wig & reveals her true appearance She is chased round the room & eventually forced onto the table & into the soup tureen She melts away & is turned into a large mouse Grandmother carries puppet Boy forward & congratulates him on saving the children of England Grandmother s parlour, Norway A touching finale
CAST Main characters Boy A young boy, but ideally to be played by a teenager 16+. He is brave, kind and intelligent. Needs to be a good mover as he is turned into a mouse in front of the audience, and appears as a mouse at the beginning of Act II. For the rest of the play he is represented by a puppet so provides voice-over only. Grandmother An older woman (86 in the book!), 50s-70s. She is a story-telling, cigar-smoking, brave character. Even after her grandson is turned into a mouse she remains a kind and loving figure. Bruno Jenkins A young boy, but ideally played by a teenager 16+. A greedy, somewhat obnoxious boy lured into a company of witches by the promise of chocolate. Needs to be a good mover as he is turned into a mouse in front of the audience, and appears as a mouse at the beginning of Act II. For the rest of the play he is represented by a puppet so provides voice-over only. Mr Jenkins Bruno s father, 30s-50s. A wealthy and obnoxious business man who doesn t want to put up with Grandmother s nonsense about his son being turned into a mouse. Mrs Jenkins Bruno s mother, 30s-40s. She clearly plays second fiddle in her marriage. She spoils Bruno, dislikes Boy, and screams at mice. Grand High Witch The most terrifying witch, 30s-60s. She strikes fear even into the hearts of other witches. Charming one minute and terrifying the next. Has a strong East European accent but needs to speak clearly. Needs to be a good mover as she has to jump on tables and chairs at the end of Act II and melt into the soup tureen. Other characters to be doubled or even trebled up as necessary Display witch Lawyer Head waiter Tree-house witch Sailor Waiter Nurse Doctor Waitress Witch 1 Doorman Maid Witch 2 Head chef Frog Witch 3 Second chef Plus witches, diners, puppeteers
DATES All at the Simpson Memorial Hall, Moston Lane, Moston, M40 9NB Wednesday 11 th October 7.30pm Wednesday 18 th October 7.30pm Wednesday 25 th October 7.30pm Script read-through Script read-through Auditions Friday 5 th January 7.30pm Rehearsals start Rehearsals will be every Friday evening & most Sunday afternoons. Rehearsals for extra witches will be every Wednesday from 7 th March. Monday 16 th April 7.00pm Technical rehearsal Tuesday 17 th April 7.00pm Dress rehearsal Performances Wednesday 18 th to Saturday 21 st April at 7.30pm, with Saturday matinee at 2.30pm Contact details Director - Vanessa Randall 0161 205 5595 or 07444 809 008 Email: vanessa.randall@virginmedia.com Chairman - David Gordon 0161 740 7037 or 07712 671 037 Website Facebook Twitter Email www.nmaods.com groups/nmaods @nmaods nmaods@yahoo.com