THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
Adapted by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Oscar Wilde’s gothic tale of a young man seeking eternal youth is as vital as ever in this gritty, provocative adaptation by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Transplanting Wilde’s characters from the 18th to the 20th/21st century, Aguirre-Sacasa brilliantly renders this Faustian tale of hedonism, unbridled lust, unspeakable violence, and more!
When an artist paints a striking portrait of a handsome young man, the subject, Dorian Gray, strikes a deal with the devil: his portrait will age, while he remains forever young. Thus, as Dorian sinks ever deeper into depravity, his physical appearance remains unaltered. Meanwhile, the decomposing portrait is gradually warped and twisted into a horrific depiction of one man’s descent into darkness! A masterpiece of Victorian literature turned bold and bloody contemporary thriller, The Picture of Dorian Gray remains as shocking and scandalous as the day it was written!
PLEASE NOTE: The themes of this play are adult by nature, and actors will be expected to be comfortable with this.
Casting Breakdown:
The play is designed to be able to be performed by 7 actors, many of whom will take on multiple roles. Whilst we may cast each role individually, actors should be prepared to take on multiple characters.
Important to note: MOST Characters, with the exception of Dorian and the one actress playing the multiple roles of Sybil/Christina/Ellie/etc., will age between 20 and 25 years throughout the play. Thus, most actors will ideally be late 20’s – 30’s, and capable of playing an age range from 20ish-40ish.
- DORIAN GRAY (Male) Eternally 20, Very Handsome, Immortal and Amoral
- HARRY WOOTON (Male) 20s - Big personality, a bit of a huckster
- BASIL HALLWOOD (Male) 20s - An artist; rumpled and nervous
- ALAN CAMPBELL (Male) 20s - One of the boys; a chemist (may include the role of JAMES VANE)
- SYBIL VANE (Female) 20 - An actress; spunky and beautiful (may include the roles of CHRISTINA, ELLIE, MARIA and KAREN)
- JAMES VANE (Male) 20s - A football player, prone to violence
- VICTORIA FROST (Female) 20s - Physically striking, sophisticated, and cynical
- DETECTIVE TREVOR MORSE (Male) 30s - A British detective (may include the roles of FRITZ, SENATOR and THEODORE)
- CHRISTINA (Female) 20s - Beautiful; a nymphomaniac
- ELLIE GARDENER (Female) 20s - A young British woman on the train
- FRITZ (OR ROLF) (Male) 20s - A young German man in Berlin
- MARIA (Female) 20s - A young Italian woman in Florence
- AN AMERICAN SENATOR (Male) - 40s - 50s
- THEODORE RUXPIN (Male) - An American in his late 40s.
- KAREN OLIVER – (Female) 20s - An American; a Hollywood actress
Preparation for the Audition
- Prepare 2x one-minute monologues of your own choice. You do not need to prepare a monologue from the play.
- Be prepared to read / perform scenes on the day.
Dates and Availability
Rehearsals: Rehearsals will initially be held twice weekly. Weekend rehearsals will be included further into the rehearsal period. The detailed rehearsal schedule will be created after the casting and you will be expected to attend all the rehearsals for your role.
Production Dates: You must be available on the move-in, dress rehearsals and production dates:
- Move-in day: Sunday, 3 August 2025
- Final Tech Rehearsals: Sunday, 10 August 2025
- Final Dress Rehearsal: Tuesday, 12 August 2025
- Production run - 1st week: Thursday 14 to Saturday 23 August 2025 (8 shows)
PLEASE NOTE: As The Playhouse Theatre is a non-profit community theatre, no remuneration is offered.