Auditions

SCREWBALL COMEDY

Written by Norm Foster

Directed by Matthew Cousins

Auditions: Saturday, 14 November from 10.00am by appointment.

Rehearsal schedule: Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7.00pm & Sundays at 2.00pm.

Season: 20 February - 13 March 2027

Copies of the script are available from the office.

SYNOPSIS
Two reporters. One Story. No cooperation.

It's 1938 and the printing presses are humming. Jeff Kincaid, star reporter for The Chronicle, has been coasting on a reputation he stopped earning some time ago. Mary Hayes is an aspiring journalist with an eye for detail and a nose for perfume, and has more nerve than Jeff knows what to do with. When their editor sends them both to cover the society wedding of the newspaper owner's son, neither intends to share the scoop and only one can come out on top.

Norm Foster's love letter to the golden age of Hollywood screwball comedy is a rapid-fire battle of wits between two people more alike than they want to admit. It’s sharp, hilarious, and populated by some of the most magnificently peculiar people ever to occupy a drawing room.

SETTING
1938. North America. The offices of The Chronicle newspaper and the drawing room of the Diddle Estate.

ROLES
Casting notes: All roles will require appropriate North American accents, with the exception of Reginald, who requires a British accent. Dialect support can be provided during rehearsals. As the play is written with doubling in mind, ages are indicative only. The roles of Bosco, Peter, Chauncey and Reginald, and Jonesy, Delores and Gloria may each be played by a single actor.

Jeff Kincaid (Male, 30s – 40s) LEAD ROLE
Star reporter of The Chronicle. Self-assured and long accustomed to getting what he wants through charm alone, Jeff has coasted long enough that his editor has noticed. He is quick with a line, genuinely likeable, and very good at his job, when he applies himself.

Mary Hayes (Female, 20s – 30s) LEAD ROLE
A whip-smart, ambitious, and fiercely independent former perfumier with dreams of becoming a star journalist. She has moxie to spare and gives as good as she gets.

Bosco Godfrey (Male) may be doubled with Peter, Chauncey and/or Reginald
The gruff and perpetually exasperated Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle, who sets the central newshound competition in motion.

Jonesy (Female) may be doubled with Delores and/or Gloria
Bosco's wise-cracking, forward-thinking and fiercely loyal secretary.

Delores Diddle (Female) may be doubled with Jonesy and/or Gloria
The wealthy owner of The Chronicle. Delores is larger-than-life, opinionated, and entirely convinced that her son's fiancée is after the family fortune.

Chauncey Diddle (Male) may be doubled with Bosco, Peter and/or Reginald
Delores's seemingly dim-witted, lazy son who might just be a lot smarter than he lets on.

Gloria Fontana (Female) may be doubled with Jonesy and/or Delores
Chauncey's beautiful, tight-dress-wearing fiancée, who may or may not be a total gold-digger.

Peter Terwilliger (Male) may be doubled with Bosco, Chauncey and/or Reginald
Delores's much younger, cravat-wearing fiancé. A jaunty and well-presented man who is always ready with an astute observation. But if you look closely, he may be hiding secrets behind his swagger.

Reginald (Male) may be doubled with Bosco, Chauncey and Peter
The Diddle family’s sarcastic, slow-talking, deadpan butler who practically runs the estate – and steals every scene he’s in.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Screwball Comedy is a play built on pace and wit. It’s an affectionate tribute to the great Hollywood comedies of the 1930s, with real feeling running underneath the rapid-fire banter.

This show is a playground for actors with larger-than-life personalities. The comedy lands best when it’s earned naturally. The timing has to be precise, the characters have to be well-rounded, and the chemistry and rivalry between Jeff and Mary drives the story.

The casting of the play can be very flexible as it’s been written with deliberate doubling of roles in mind. So, I’ll be looking for a full ensemble of performers with strong range who can bring these characters to life, relish the fast dialogue, and understand how every role forms part of the larger comedic picture. 

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Matthew has been part of the community theatre world in the UK and New Zealand since his early years. As an actor, he’s performed in a range of productions at Howick Little Theatre, Dolphin Theatre, The Rose Centre, Harlequin Theatre, and other theatres across Auckland.

Most recently, he’s appeared on the Howick Little Theatre stage as the beleaguered author Edgar Wallace in The Case of the Frightened Lady in 2025, the put-upon Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days in 2024, and a rain-drenched Fiordland farmer in Shepherd in 2021.

As a director, Matthew has helmed HLT’s 2025 Christmas comedy Many Happy Returns by Bernard Farrell, and the sold-out season of Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced in 2023. He also directed Spider’s Web, another popular Christie, at Dolphin Theatre in 2021.

He is currently part of the Howick Little Theatre Committee.

Watch this space for details of upcoming auditions for the remaining four plays in HLT's 2027 season. Meanwhile, you can sign up to the HLT emailing list to receive advance information.