Rehearsals will be on Monday and Wednesday every week from the beginning of January 2026. There will also be a number of pre-rehearsal workshops and one-to-one character meetings during the autumn of 2025 – dates to be announced.

Auditions

Thank you to all who have auditioned. We have been delighted with the response. We are in the final stages of casting now and will be announcing the full cast list shortly.

Characters

Dunyasha – a chambermaid, loved by Yepikhodov, in love with Yasha, female, playing age 20s

Lopakhin (Yermola) – a businessman, rich now but born a peasant, male, playing age 40-60

Yepikhodov – the estate clerk, plays the guitar and sings, very prone to accidents, in love with Dunyasha, male, playing age 20-30s

Firs – the footman, born a peasant, now deaf and a bit vague, male, playing age 80s

Anya – Ranyevskaya’s daughter, admires Trofimov, female, playing age 17

Ranyevskaya (Lyuba) – owner of the estate and the cherry orchard, female, playing age 40s – 60s

Charlotta Ivanovna – Anya’s governess, German, formerly a circus performer, does magic tricks and ventriloquism, female, playing age 30s – 50s

Varya – Ranyevskaya’s adopted daughter (original parentage unknown), in love with Lopakhin, female, playing age 20s – 30s

Gayev (Lenya) – Ranyevskaya’s brother, keen player of billiards, male, playing age 40s – 60s

Pischik – a landowning neighbour of Ranyevskaya, chronically short of money, male, playing age 40s – 70s

Yasha – a young footman, ambitious to get on, male, male, playing age 20s

Trofimov (Petya) – a student, formerly tutor to Ranyevskaya’s son, idealistic seeker for change, male, playing age 20s – 30s

A passer-by – a vagrant who begs money from Varya, male, playing age any

The Stationmaster – a guest at the party, male, playing age any

The Postmaster – a guest at the party, male, playing age any

Party guests – possibly another 2, non-speaking, gender either, playing age any

Audition pieces

The audition pieces are in the pdf files below. Most are in the file called Audition pages. The other two pages were inadvertently omitted and added slightly later. Apologies.

Audition pages.pdf – most characters

Pages 28-29 – additional page needed for Ranyevskaya

Pages 48-49 – additional page needed for Varya

Simply find the character you wish to audition for in the table below and print off the relevant pages listed next to the character. (NB you need to look for the book pages not the page numbers of the pdf document.)

Character	Audition passage
Dunyasha	From p.24 (Yepikhodov): “If I might trouble you …” to p.25 “Your cigar’s given me a headache.”
Lopakhin	From p.10 “I have to leave straightaway” to p.11 “None whatsoever.” From p.51 (Ranyevskaya): “Is the cherry orchard sold?” to p.52 “I can pay for it all!”
Yepikhodov	From p.23 from (singing) “What should I care for life’s clamour …” to p.24 “Now I know what to do with my revolver.”
Firs	From p.11 “In the old days …” to p.12 “No-one remembers it.” From p.67 “Locked …” to “… silly billy.” i.e. the whole speech.
Anya	From p.4 “I didn’t sleep on the way” to p.7 “I went up in a hot-air balloon.”
Ranyevskaya	From p. 28 “Oh my sins” to “There’s a sound of music somewhere”. From p.43 “Why isn’t Leonid back?” to p.45 “I was joking, Petya!”
Charlotta	From p.22 “I haven’t got proper papers …” to p.23 “… remains a mystery.” From p.40 “Think of a card” to p.41 “And that’s the end of my show.”
Varya	From p.49 “Are you still here?” to p.50 “I didn’t hurt you did I?” From p.63 “That’s strange” to p.64 “… provided we don’t miss that train.”
Gayev	From p.18 “If for some disease …” to p.20 “Clean as a whistle.”
Pischik	From p.61 “Oh let me get my breath back.” to p.62 “Dashenka sends her regards.
Yasha	From p.24 “Poor old Disasters” to p.25 “I’m not having that.” From p.58 (Anya): “Has Firs been sent off to the hospital?” to p.59 “They’re coming.”
Trofimov	From p.30 (Lopakhin): “Our wandering student” to p.32 “Better to be silent.”