Open Casting Call – VILE

Update: Thank you so much to everyone who applied for this opportunity! We’ve now closed applications.

Time & Again Theatre Company are seeking talented performers, particularly those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, disabled or chronically ill, and/or LGBTQIA+ for an upcoming theatre R&D for new writing piece VILE, in partnership with Cast, the Lowry and OCD UK, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

VILE is a rude and radical re-evaluation of life at Henry VIII’s court, celebrating queer and disabled identities in an era where neither were recognised.

Meet Jane Boleyn – the woman history loves to hate! She was married to George – the brother of Anne Boleyn – and the history books have decided the match was a thoroughly miserable one. Fast forward to 1536 and Anne, now queen, is accused of treason, adultery, and even incest with George. The story goes that a jealous Jane testified against them, but… did she really? Or was she just a handy scapegoat in the cut-throat Tudor court?

VILE will challenge how marginalised narratives are twisted and erased, and celebrate found family, queer platonic friendship and asexual romance. The show will incorporate creative integrated access via animated projections, creative captioning and integrated audio description.

The project will consist of three weeks of R&D and rehearsal. We will also be holding two co-creator workshop sessions, engaging with participants with invisible conditions and chronic illness, to ensure the themes of the project reflect the artists and audiences we wish to serve.

Who We Are Seeking:

We are looking to cast performers of any ethnicity, background, and gender identity with strong comic skills and a commitment to accessibility and collaboration. Due to the themes and objectives of the project, we are specifically keen to hear from performers who identify as:

• Deaf (including those who choose to identify as Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing)
• Blind or Visually Impaired
• Disabled or Chronically ill
• LGBTQIA+ (including but not limited to asexual, queer, trans, and nonbinary identities)

We would like to work with local performers. Please indicate in your application if you are based in Greater Manchester or live within a 25 mile radius of The Lowry, Salford.

Who We Are:

Time & Again Theatre Company are a multi-award winning theatre company with an innovative niche of exploring disability and mental health within a vibrant historical context. Our new writing pushes the boundaries of how a story can be told visually, whilst having accessibility at its heart. Based in Manchester, Time  & Again have been creating theatre since 2017 and its core team is made up of members who are deaf, neurodivergent, and with lived experience of chronic illness.

Roles Available:

ANNE BOLEYN: (female, transgender – female, non-binary; 20s /30s) The famous – or perhaps infamous – second wife of Henry VIII, Anne is Jane’s sister-in-law and becomes Queen of England halfway through the play. Passionate and determined. Witty, clever, biting. The actor playing Anne needs to deliver some pretty sharp, nasty lines to the other characters whilst still being ultimately likeable and sympathetic. She is a trend-setter, a scene-stealer, but fragile beneath it all.
 

GEORGE BOLEYN: (male, transgender – male, non-binary; 20s /30s) Anne’s brother and Jane’s husband. George is an intelligent courtier with a touch of arrogance. He wears expensive clothes, drinks a bit too much, but is loudly passionate about religious reform (in an edgy activist, banned books and secret letters sort of way). Jane and George initially dislike each other but end up forming a deeply loving platonic relationship. We are specifically seeking an LGBTQIA+ performer in this role.

FRANCIS BRYAN: (male, transgender – male, non-binary; 20s/30s/40s) History names him the ‘Vicar of Hell’. Although he was most definitely not a vicar, Francis earned this nickname from his rakish private life and questionable principles! He is a canny courtier who changes loyalty as necessary. For most of the play, he is in a secret relationship with George. Francis historically lost an eye jousting and wore an eyepatch. We are specifically seeking a blind or visually impaired performer in this role. 

MARY 1/NAN COBHAM: (Multi role; female, transgender – female, non-binary; 20s/30s)

This is a multirole part that requires each character to feel uniquely different and clearly distinguishable. 

MARY 1 – A Lady in Waiting and Jane’s cousin. She is the blueprint of a typical 16th century courtier whose greatest ambition is to have more children than her sister. She can be a bit jealous of Anne, and at times Jane, as they have the confidence to do their own thing but Mary is ultimately loyal to their joint friendship. She is very funny without realising it.
NAN COBHAM – Nan joins Anne Boleyn’s household once she is made Queen. She is a plain talking Northerner who reads fortunes from cards. She’s a yeoman’s daughter, so she’s basically regarded as a poor person by everyone else in the play, but she’s a force to be reckoned with. Nan is forthright, observant but incredibly protective of those she loves. We’d love to see LGBTQIA+ performers in this role.

Person Specification

• Performers with an interest or passion for history – ideally Tudor history! – who will be excited to research and discuss the era in which the show is set, and get to grips with the dramatic period of history in which the story takes place!
  
• The show explores themes of disability and queerness, especially invisible disability and mental health. Consequently we are seeking performers who have a passion for creating diverse and accessible work. Performers must be willing to respect and adapt to the potential access requirements of other team members, and recognise that accommodating varying needs may result in exploring new ways of working. Performers should be prepared to positively support and uplift one another throughout.
  
• We will be experimenting with projection onto different surfaces, some of them potentially hand held, so there will be some basic choreography and movement pieces in the play. Therefore we are looking for performers who are up for exploring this, though we will be guided by our performers’ access requirements and this should not be seen as a barrier to applying.
  
• Due to the themes of the show, actors must be comfortable engaging in discussions exploring historical attitudes of ableism, homophobia and religious intolerance, and looking at how we can reframe and reclaim this throughout the narrative in an empowering way.

Please note, the story makes reference to miscarriage, child loss, and risks associated with child birth. These are not main topics of the show and there are no scenes where they are directly featured, but they were an unfortunately common event in 16th century life and are therefore mentioned casually several times. We understand this is a potentially triggering topic and are happy to discuss this in further detail if requested.

How to Apply:

Please submit to hello@timeandagaintheatre.com a recent headshot or photograph along with your CV or Spotlight link, and a short note explaining why you’d be interested in taking part in the project by midday Monday 10th March 2025. The note expressing interest can be in the form of an email, a video (BSL or English), or an audio recording – or let us know if you need another accessible format.

We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for all artists involved. If you have questions or require accommodations, please don’t hesitate to contact hello@timeandagaintheatre.com.