Audition Notice – Lilies on the Land
AUDITION NOTICE: LILIES ON THE LAND
A play by the Lions Part
Audition date: September 8, 2026 @ 7pm in 52 Down (The Little Theatre’s rehearsal room on Albion Street)
Production dates: March 1-6, 2027
Dir. Ruth Cheetham
Amateur Status Only – Unpaid
ABOUT THE PLAY
A revealing, funny and wonderfully moving portrait of four women who sign up to join the Women’s Land Army during World War II.
Based on one hundred and fifty letters and interviews with original Land Girls, along with songs from the period, Lilies on the Land charts the personal journeys of four women who are determined to work endless backbreaking hours on farms across the country in a bid to do their best for the war effort.
But how do these women, all hailing from different walks of life, torn from their families and bereft of all basic home comforts, deal with the hardships of farming life and the pressures of war?
CHARACTERS
(Playing age range of all the parts is 19-50 (the draft age for the Land army); the ages must work as a group, not specific ages of any individual)
Margie (F) is from Newcastle and refers to herself as a townie. She is very naive and child-like but not childish. She is warm, funny, affectionate and constantly in a state of surprise. This character must be able to carry off either a Newcastle or County Durham accent.
Peggy (F) is a happy, confident cockney from a large East End family until she finds herself in the middle of the country not knowing ‘one end of a cow from the other’. However, she is keen to do her bit for the War Effort and not afraid to get stuck in and loves being out on a tractor, ploughing the fields.
Poppy (F) is a confident and outgoing woman from Oxfordshire, brought up in a happy and privileged family and is used to a comfortable lifestyle. The tough life that comes with being part of the Land Army is a bit of her shock to her, but she throws herself into it all with energy and enthusiasm. Her accent is Received Pronunciation (RP), but without affectation.
Vera (F) is a rather complex character who responds very thoughtfully to things that happen to her. She likes to muck in but is never really ‘one of the girls’. She’s educated and frustrated with the old-fashioned views of women. She sees joining the Land Army as a way to find out who she really is.
These four main characters will also play the further 28 characters that appear in this story between them. In addition, there will be some singing required and you will be asked to sing a short set piece as part of the audition. Therefore, it is important to get in touch if you are intending to audition, so we can provide you with these details.
Contact info: 07889 233004 / ruthcheetham@btinternet.com
