Saturday 15 - Saturday 22 March 7:45pm. Matinee Saturday 22 March 2:45pm.
£18, Members £12
Audition Date: Thursday 9 January, 7:30pm, Lewes Little Theatre Foyer
Based on cookery writer Nigel Slater’s acclaimed memoir, Toast is a play about growing up and finding your place in the world through food. We first meet the nine-year-old Nigel and accompany him on his journey to his first job in a professional kitchen as a young man.
Set in the mid-1960s and mid-1970s, the story is told using bold, physical and fluid staging, with some onstage cooking. Nigel is played by one adult actor supported by a company of four other actors, playing his Mum, Dad and the people he encounters on his journey. From making the perfect sherry trifle via the pressured playground politics of sweets to the rigid rules of fine dining, this is a story of love, loss and toast.
“The simple act of making someone something to eat, even a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread, has a many-layered meaning. It suggests an act of protection and caring, of generosity and intimacy. It is in itself a sign of respect.” – Nigel Slater
Nigel – 20s/30s – The only set casting requirement for this production is that Nigel is played by an adult actor. This performer does not take any other part, he is the central point around which the story unfolds. This is a monster role with lots of narration and it is imperative that a rapport with the audience is immediately created. Nigel is warm, funny and engaging. The play follows his love of food, family and is a coming-of-age story as Nigel engages with his sexuality.
Mum – Late 30s/40s – Mum is warm and indulges Nigel’s love of food and they bond baking together-with very mixed results. There is some darkness too, we will explore as a cast how happy the Slater marriage is, Mum suffers from asthma, and it takes its toll on her throughout the play. She is, however, a lifeforce and the centre of Nigel’s world, and we must understand why. Mum dies at the end of Act one and the actor with take on other smaller roles in Act Two.
Dad – 40s/50s – Dad is a good man and trying to do his best for his family, even if he has a hard time understanding his son. He is a happy man, but his temper can suddenly and violently erupt. Ultimately, we feel there is some frustration here-we will explore where this originates. At one point he loses his temper with Nigel and a single slap turns into a beating-this is disturbing and must be so.
Joan/Multiple roles – Any age – Joan is Nigel’s dad’s second wife, but the actor will play multiple smaller roles of the other females Nigel encounters.
Josh/Stuart/Multiple roles – Any age – Josh and Stuart are men that are important to Nigel’s emerging understanding of his sexuality as a gay man. Josh takes his shirt off at one point (he’s a gardener) and Nigel and Stuart share one kiss. The actor will also play other smaller (male) roles.