Information about The Pirate Queen auditions has now been released.
This is the second time Sedos has had an opportunity to tour a show to the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall. The Minack is one of the most beautiful open-air theatres in the world and we’ll be looking for a large, diverse cast to share this exciting experience.
THE PIRATE QUEEN AUDITIONS: KEY DATES
- Pre-audition workshop: Wednesday 12 February at Wheatsheaf Hall – sign up here
- Video deadline for first-round video auditions: midnight on Friday 21 February
- Recalls (by invitation only): Saturday 1 March at the Men’s Club at St Gabriel’s Halls, Pimlico
Your audition self-tapes will only be seen by the creative team and committee liaisons and will not be shared outside this group. The self-tapes will not be held any longer than is necessary for the purpose of casting the show and will then be deleted.
FULL AUDITION NOTICE
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Pirate Queen is an epic musical adventure from the writers of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, celebrating the legendary Irish chieftain Grace O’Malley.
Disguised as a cabin boy to stow away on her father’s ship, Grace starts a lifetime of fighting traditional expectations of women and standing up for what she believes in. Ultimately, she must seek to make peace between the Irish clans and another powerful female ruler in Queen Elizabeth I of England – while deciding what personal sacrifices she will make for her country.
The Pirate Queen is based on the real life of Gráinne Ní Mháille, anglicised as Grace O’Malley, and mixes romance, sword fighting, politics and piracy in a thrilling story packed with stirring songs from renowned musical theatre writers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.
With Irish music and dance woven throughout, The Pirate Queen asks how far you would go to protect what you love and explores what it is to be trapped by society’s beliefs about gender, culture and tradition.
FULL AUDITION NOTICE
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for a large, diverse cast (18-25 performers) who are excited to come together to create a great show and have fun on a week’s adventure in Cornwall.
The Minack is an outdoor theatre on the coast, with no protection from the elements, and shows will continue in virtually all weather conditions, so please be prepared to perform in blazing sun, torrential rain and everything in between!
There are nine named roles in the show and an ensemble. Many of those in named roles will also double into ensemble parts. We are looking to cast at least 18 people and there will be plenty for everyone to do!
Actors will multirole as both Irish and English characters, engage in fight scenes and dance sections. Each performer will receive a track breakdown outlining which character they will play in each scene. As the show is largely sung through we are looking for performers with healthy vocal technique, and are open to both legit and contemporary interpretations of the material.
We are planning for some characters to be involved in sword fighting. Almost all cast will be involved in some form of stage combat, either armed or unarmed. We do not expect auditionees to have experience of this and plan to work with a professional fight director. If you do have stage combat experience, please do mention it on your audition form!
We encourage auditionees to perform with an Irish accent in your audition if you are auditioning for a character with an Irish accent. We will work with the cast to refine accents as part of the process, but would like to see what you can do. Almost all of the cast will be playing a variety of roles throughout the show, and as such will be performing in both Irish and English (Received Pronunciation) accents.
We are hoping to incorporate as much Irish culture into the show as possible – if you have experience in any traditional Irish performing arts or speak Irish please mention it on your audition form. Examples are: Irish, Céilí, or Sean Nós Dance; Sean Nós Singing, playing traditional Irish Instruments (Bodhran, fiddle, tin whistle, harp, etc.).
CASTING | DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Sedos is committed to diversity and inclusion. Our commitment is to build and sustain a membership that is reflective of the diverse communities within London. We actively encourage all performers to audition for the roles which they feel best suit their skills.
All roles in The Pirate Queen are open to actors of all ethnicities.
Across the entire cast there are opportunities for actors of all ages and genders to be cast, with the primary consideration in casting being the performers’ ability to sing and act in their assigned role. There are some roles with specific requirements as to playing age – this is specified in the role breakdown in the full audition notice.
Please note that this show deals with gender discrimination, and is written to highlight discrimination against women. Due to the time period in which it is set, it is very binary in its views on gender. The named roles require particular gender presentation, again specified in the role breakdown below – anyone can audition for these roles, provided they are comfortable portraying that gender. We will not be transposing any vocal lines so please bear that in mind. With regard to the ensemble, we encourage non-binary actors to audition, and will collaborate with them in creating an ensemble track with multirole characters whose gender presentation the actor is comfortable portraying.
The steep, rocky geography of the Minack creates some access limitations. There are 130 steps from the entrance and just over 100 steps from the accessible areas at the top of the site to the lowest part of the theatre. Steps are the only way to access the stage and backstage areas. Please find more information here on the Minack's website.
You can read Sedos’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy in full here.
WHAT TO DO NOW
A LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS IN THE PIRATE QUEEN…
MORE AUDITIONS
Find out about all our London auditions.
Essential info
- Wednesday 12 February 2025 7.15pm
- Friday 21 February 2025 11.59pm