Society/Production Company: Pecadillo Productions
Show Title: The Harrowing of Hell
Content Warnings:
Venue/Dates of Show: BT Studio / 2th-6th of June + St Edmund's Crypt / dates TBC
Deadline: End of week 8 HT
Audition Type: Both self-tape and in-person
Description: Pecadillo Productions are seeking 7 actors for The Harrowing of Hell, inspired by the York Mystery Cycles and other Medieval Mystery Plays.
After the Crucifixion, Christ descends into Hell — not to suffer, but to liberate the righteous souls (Adam, Eve, the patriarchs, the prophets) held captive by Satan. Believing Christ’s death gives him dominion, Satan confronts the one he thought defeated. What unfolds is a rhetorical and spiritual battle as Christ overturns the infernal order.
Casting is open to all profiles. We are seeking performers who meet the dramatic stakes of the roles.
Roles
Satan - A refined, austere king who rejects noise and vulgarity in favour of silence and mineral beauty. His authority is emotionally absolute — hypersensitive, exacting, and sustained by strict (sometimes absurd) rules.
NB: Requires strong vocal versatility. The actor will embody multiple diabolical figures, occasionally through puppetry.
Jesus - Marked by the Crucifixion — vulnerable and physically weakened — yet resolute. He advances through Hell with effort, bearing the sins of others. Through love, rhetoric, and authority, he overturns Satan’s reign. The role explores absolute obedience to the Father and a radical, almost excessive joy offered to the patriarchs.
2 Patriarchs, Adam and Eve (4 actors) - Fossilised by centuries of waiting, repetitive and withdrawn — imagined as a bourgeois couple seeking comfort and salvation. They will also play members of a ridiculous bureaucratic diabolical army.
NB: Includes some choreographed scenes; minimal movement commitment.
Narrator / Master of Ceremonies - maintains the link between audience and stage, ensures dramaturgical continuity, and leads musical interludes.
Link to Audition Pack: https://forms.gle/XcsfGHpCYvCYaBap7