AUDITION NOTICE – CURL UP AND DYE
The Playhouse will be presenting this iconic South African comedy in JUNE 2025 under the direction of Darryl Spijkers. Darryl has directed many plays and musicals for the Playhouse since 2004. His most notable plays have been The Road to Mecca, Calendar Girls, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, Much Ado About Nothing … to name a few.
Summary
"Curl Up and Dye" is a South African play by Sue Pam Grant, set in a dilapidated hair salon during apartheid, where the interactions between a white salon owner, Mrs. DuBois, and her black employees, particularly the domestic worker Miriam and the drug-addicted prostitute Charmaine, expose the power dynamics and social inequalities of the time, with the hair salon acting as a microcosm of the wider societal issues, including racism, classism, and the struggles of survival under oppressive conditions. The tension between Mrs. DuBois, who tries to maintain control and a sense of superiority, and the black characters, who navigate their dependence on her while also resisting her power.
The play use both low and high comedy and makes some serious social commentary. The characters of Charmaine and Mrs Du Bois use strong language.
Characters:
Rolene: (20 – 40 years old) White owner of ‘Curl Up and Dye International’, a rundown hair salon. She is in abusive relationship with her husband.
Mrs. DuBois: (35 – 65 years old) An opinionated and conservative white salon customer, representing privilege and a clinging to old power structures.
Miriam: (35 – 65 years old) The older and loyal black domestic worker, struggling with exploitation and internalized oppression.
Charmaine: (17 – 30 years old) A young poor white woman addicted to drugs, using the salon as a safe space to hideout.
Dudu: (20 – 35 years old) A younger black woman who is a recently qualified nurse. She brings gravity and truth to the salon in Act 2.
Why This Play?
The play explores the harsh realities of life under apartheid, including racial segregation, economic disparities, and the psychological impact of oppression. The play examines how power imbalances manifest in everyday interactions between people of different races and social classes. The characters' different coping mechanisms to navigate the challenges of their situation are a great lesson for post-Apartheid South Africa. The play is also just a lot of fun!
When and Where
Auditions are on 16 March at 13:00 at the Playhouse theatre.
What to Prepare
Prepare a 1-minute monologue from any South African play. Darryl will then guide the auditionees through a reading of parts of the text. All roles are suitable for females to perform except for Mrs DuBois which can be played by a male or a female. All performers must be available for rehearsals from April. The Playhouse is an NPO and as such no remuneration is offered. Please feel free to contact Darryl on thedashingwriter@gmail.com for more info.