Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot Auditions
Audition Dates: Monday and Tuesday, September 21-22, from 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Callbacks (by invitation): Wednesday, September 23
Choose your audition slot. Roles are unpaid.
AUDITION SIGN-UPS
VIDEO SUBMISSIONS
Production Dates: November 20 – December 6, 2026 (12 Performances Total)
Director: Devin Clarke
Where: The Lake Worth Playhouse – 713 Lake Ave, Lake Worth Beach, Florida 33460
Rehearsals: Typical schedule: Monday – Friday evenings (7:00 pm – 10:00 pm)
Audition Requirements:
– Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. No prepared monologue is required.
– Please be prepared to read more than one character and to participate in physical or improvisational work at the director’s discretion.
– Headshots and résumés are not required. If you have them, please bring them with you.
Audition Notes:
The Game’s Afoot is an ensemble comedy requiring precise timing, strong listening skills and a willingness to commit fully to heightened characters and situations. Several roles include physical comedy, staged violence and moments of controlled farce.
The director may explore dialects and heightened period speech during callbacks and rehearsals. Auditioners are not required to prepare an accent for the initial audition.
About the Show:
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette—admired around the world for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes—has invited his fellow cast members to spend Christmas at his Connecticut castle.
When one of the guests is murdered, Gillette assumes the persona of Holmes and sets out to identify the killer before another victim appears. Filled with hidden rooms, dangerous secrets, physical comedy and unexpected twists, The Game’s Afoot is a lively theatrical whodunit in which nearly everyone has something to hide.
Available Roles Include:
WILLIAM GILLETTE
40s–60s
A celebrated Broadway actor famous for playing Sherlock Holmes. Elegant, eccentric, intelligent and endlessly theatrical, Gillette begins investigating the crime with complete confidence in his own deductive abilities. Requires a commanding comic actor with strong timing, verbal dexterity and the ability to move between genuine danger and heightened theatricality.
MARTHA GILLETTE
60s–70s
William’s spirited and highly eccentric mother. Warm, witty, outspoken and fiercely protective of her son, Martha has a flair for the dramatic and is more perceptive than she may initially appear. Requires excellent comic timing and a strong, distinctive stage presence.
FELIX GEISEL
40s–60s
A longtime friend and fellow actor in Gillette’s theatrical company. Felix plays Professor Moriarty opposite Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes. Affable, theatrical and good-humored, he is married to Madge and knows the members of the company very well. Requires a strong character actor with excellent ensemble and farcical instincts.
MADGE GEISEL
40s–60s
Felix’s wife and a fellow member of Gillette’s acting company. Glamorous, outspoken, warm and delightfully theatrical, Madge is a woman of strong opinions and considerable personality. Requires sharp comic timing, sophistication and confidence with physical comedy.
SIMON BRIGHT
20s–30s
A handsome and enthusiastic young actor in Gillette’s company. Charming, ambitious and eager to make his mark, Simon is romantically involved with Aggie. His youthful confidence sometimes gets ahead of him. Requires energy, strong comic instincts and comfort with the play’s physical demands.
AGGIE WHEELER
20s–30s
A talented young actress in Gillette’s company. Bright, appealing and seemingly openhearted, Aggie is romantically involved with Simon—but she may know more than she initially reveals. Requires an actor who can balance sincerity, mystery, comedy and emotional complexity.
INSPECTOR HARRIET GORING
40s–60s
The eccentric police inspector assigned to investigate the murder. Intelligent, determined and an enthusiastic admirer of William Gillette’s stage work, Goring brings an unusual combination of professional authority and theatrical excitement to the investigation. Requires exceptional comic timing, precision and the ability to command the stage.
DARIA CHASE
30s–60s
A glamorous and notoriously sharp-tongued theatre critic. Clever, stylish, manipulative and thoroughly unafraid of making enemies, Daria knows everyone’s secrets and enjoys having the upper hand. Requires a bold comic actor with confidence, sophistication and a talent for delivering biting dialogue.
For questions or to request further information, please contact Artistic Director Daniel Eilola at daniel@lakeworthplayhouse.org.
The Lake Worth Playhouse encourages people of all races, abilities, and genders to audition for the roles they most identify with. The Lake Worth Playhouse strives to make all of our staff and volunteers feel valued, appreciated, and free to be who they are at work regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or if there are any accommodations we can provide.