A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Audience (Frayn)

Short Play, Comedy  /  7w, 6m

Michael Frayn

This amusing satire about audiences by the author of Noises Off, Copenhagen and other acclaimed plays takes place in the stalls (orchestra) of a West End theatre.

Audience (Frayn)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    7w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    60 minutes (1 hour)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary
This amusing satire about audiences by the author of Noises Off, Copenhagen and other acclaimed plays takes place in the stalls (orchestra) of a West End theatre. The cast includes an usherette, audience members and a playwright in agony over crinkling candy wrappers, talking out loud, and inattention to his play. The characters in Michael Frayn's metatheatrical comedy are actually watching the audience, expecting them to perform, and comedy ensues as Frayn holds a mirror up to the audience and they see their our own foibles as audience members.

History
Audience was first presented in Colin Blakely, a Celebration, at the Lyric Theatre, London, on October 4, 1987. 
Cast Attributes
Performing Groups
THE USHERETTE — An Usherette who doesn't quite like her job and just tries to get it done with haste. 
JOAN — An elderly woman taken to see a show by her daughter Helena.
HELENA — A woman in her thirties or forties taking her mother Joan out to see a play. 
CHARLES — A very suave man who is taking his girlfriend Amanda out on a date to the theater. 
AMANDA — A very beautiful woman who is being taken on a date with her boy friend Charles to the theater while her husband is in Germany. 
QUENTIN — A man who enjoys going to the theater and only came to see this show in order to see this one actor he adores. 
LEE — Quinton's protégé, he is taking AP Drama and has to sit through a play with Quinton. 
MERRILL — A senile old man that cannot help but fall asleep all the time. 
BOBBIE — Merrill's elderly wife who spends most of her time and energy keeping her husband in line.
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting In the stalls (orchestra) of a West End theatre.  
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Duration 60 minutes (1 hour)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $75 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Michael Frayn

Michael Frayn

Michael Frayn was born in London in 1933. He began his career as a reporter for the Guardian and later the Observer. After leaving the Observer he continued to write as a columnist as well as publishing novels and plays for television and stage.

His plays for stage include Cop ...

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