30 scripts written by us, free to practice with, record and put in your reel.
Every one lists voice age, accent and length, so you can pick a read that fits the audition you are chasing.
A bus shelter in a downpour. JUNE, 22, and OWEN, 24, have each picked up the other's black umbrella from the stand
OWENExcuse me. I think that's my umbrella.
JUNEIt's black. They're all black. That's the whole design.
OWENMine has a bent spoke. Third from the handle.
JUNEEveryone's has a bent spoke. It's an umbrella.
OWENAnd my name on the strap. In silver pen. Owen.
JUNE...Oh.
OWENYeah.
JUNEThen where's mine?
OWENI'm guessing it's the one I'm holding. Purple inside. Little cartoon ducks.
JUNEThat was a gift.
OWENI didn't say anything.
JUNEYou said "little cartoon ducks" in a voice.
OWENThat's my normal voice.
JUNEThen you have a very judgmental normal voice.
OWENSo we swap.
JUNEWe swap.
OWENOr. The number twelve's another twenty minutes. There's a café across the road. Somebody has to get wet getting there.
JUNEAnd you're volunteering?
OWENNo. I'm volunteering the ducks. They look like they can handle weather.
JUNEFine. But I'm holding it.
OWENIt's your umbrella.
JUNEIt was a gift. Keep up.
What it is for: A meet-cute built on one small object. Trains fast back-and-forth where the argument is the flirting. Coach's note: Watch out for playing June as genuinely annoyed. She is embarrassed about the ducks and it comes out as attitude. The turn is Owen's 'Or.': he needs a real beat before it, and June has to hear the offer before she answers it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two people who are plainly enjoying the argument before either of them would admit it.
A hospital ward, 7 a.m. shift handover. DANA, 38, the night nurse, and PRIYA, 34, on days. Six months of handovers and never anything more
DANABed four, Mr. Kowalski. Slept well. Asked for you twice.
PRIYAHe asks for everyone.
DANAHe asked for "the one who laughs at the crossword." That's you.
PRIYAThat's not a description, that's an accusation.
DANABed six goes home at ten. Bed nine wants toast, not the eggs. And there's coffee in the break room. The good kind. Not the machine.
PRIYAWho brought good coffee?
DANANobody. It just appears.
PRIYADana.
DANAIt's in the green flask. You don't have to drink it.
PRIYAThat flask has been there every morning for three weeks.
DANAHas it.
PRIYAI thought it was the cleaner. I've been leaving thank-you notes for the cleaner.
DANAOh no.
PRIYAShe's very confused. She thinks I'm proposing.
DANAI'm off till Thursday.
PRIYAI'm off Thursday too.
DANAI know. I checked the rota. Which, I realise now, sounds—
PRIYAIt sounds like you should buy me a coffee somewhere with windows.
DANABed four's going to miss you.
PRIYABed four will survive.
What it is for: A workplace reveal hidden inside a shift handover. Trains playing a professional surface with something else running underneath. Coach's note: Watch out for Dana rushing the list so the coffee line gets buried. The handover is her cover; the flask is the real message. Priya takes over the scene from 'Dana.' and the cleaner joke only works if Dana's 'Oh no' is real horror. What casting listens for: Casting listens for tired, real voices at the end of a night shift, not glossy romance leads.
Second Pew
Second chanceAdult (30-45)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 76s
Cast: ELLISTHEO
A church before a wedding. THEO, 36, a groomsman; the bride is his sister. ELLIS, 37, his ex of eight years, arriving late
ELLISIs this seat taken?
THEOIt's the family pew.
ELLISI was family. Four years. Your mother still sends me a Christmas card.
THEOShe sends the mailman a Christmas card.
ELLISMine has a photo in it.
THEO...Of course it does.
ELLISYou look good. The suit.
THEOIt's a rental. The trousers are held up by hope.
ELLISNora said you'd be here on your own.
THEONora's been at the champagne since nine.
ELLISShe said you kept the dog.
THEOBiscuit. He's thirteen now. He still sits by the door at six.
ELLISSix was when I got home.
THEOI know what six was.
SFX: organ music begins
ELLISI should move. This is your family's row.
THEOEllis. Stay. Just sit. It's a long service, and Mom will want you in the photo.
ELLISMom will.
THEOAnd I'd... yeah. Me too.
ELLISDoes Biscuit still snore?
THEOLike a tractor. You'd have to come and hear it.
What it is for: Two exes, one wedding, no room to make a scene. Trains humour used as armour and the moment it drops. Coach's note: Watch out for Theo landing every joke. The jokes are there to keep Ellis at arm's length, so they should be quick and a little dry. The turn is the dog: 'He still sits by the door at six.' Ellis should hear it and need a second before he answers. What casting listens for: Casting listens for whether the history between them is audible in the pauses, not just in the lines.
Last Orders
Small townAdult (40-55)IrishTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 80s
Cast: MAEVEDECLAN
A village pub in County Clare, closing time. MAEVE, 47, runs the bar. DECLAN, 50, the widowed vet, has been the last customer every Friday for a year
MAEVELast orders, Declan.
DECLANI'll have the same.
MAEVEYou'll have a pot of tea. You've a calving in the morning.
DECLANHow do you know I've a calving?
MAEVEThe whole parish knows. Tommy Flynn's heifer. She's the talk of the post office.
DECLANGod help her.
MAEVESo. Tea.
DECLANTea. And, Maeve. Could I ask you something?
MAEVEYou could.
DECLANEvery Friday I sit here till you lock up.
MAEVEYou do.
DECLANA year now.
MAEVEFifty-one Fridays. You missed one for the Galway show.
DECLANYou counted.
MAEVEI run a pub, Declan. I count everything.
DECLANWould you come out with me. Somewhere that isn't here. Somewhere you don't have to pour.
MAEVE...And where would that be, in this village?
DECLANEnnis. There's a place does fish. I've been practising asking you since March.
MAEVESince March.
DECLANI'm a slow worker. Ask the heifer.
MAEVESunday. And you're driving.
DECLANI'm driving.
MAEVENow drink your tea before I change my mind.
What it is for: A slow ask from a man who has rehearsed it for months. Trains dry warmth and letting the other person do the work. Coach's note: Watch out for Maeve playing flirty. She is dry, busy and has already decided; she wants him to say it out loud. Declan's ask needs a real breath before 'Would you come out with me'. He has been sitting on it since March. What casting listens for: Casting listens for an Irish rhythm that sounds lived in, not performed, and for humour that stays under the surface.
The Prom Committee
Rom-com, young adultYoung adult (18-25)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 74s
Cast: SAMJAVI
A school gym after hours. SAM, 18, head of the prom committee. JAVI, 18, stuck on balloon duty as part of a detention
SAMThat's the forty-first balloon you've popped.
JAVIYou're counting?
SAMI'm in charge of the budget. They're eleven cents each. You owe the senior class four dollars and fifty-one cents.
JAVII'll pay you in exposure.
SAMJust tie it. Loosely. It's not a knot for a boat.
JAVISo show me.
SAMHold it here. Pinch. Round your finger. Through.
JAVI...Your hands are freezing.
SAMThe gym's freezing. Focus.
JAVIYou going to prom? Like, going going. With someone.
SAMI'm going as the committee. I'll be holding a clipboard.
JAVIVery romantic.
SAMAre you going?
JAVIWasn't planning on it. It's forty dollars to stand in a room I have detention in.
SAMThe committee gets a plus-one. Free.
JAVIIs that true?
SAMIt is now. I'm in charge of the budget.
JAVI...Then I guess I owe you four fifty-one and a dance.
SAMTie the balloon, Javi.
JAVIShow me again. Slower this time.
What it is for: A high-school senior romance played with real comic precision. Trains a tight, fussy character against a loose, teasing one. Coach's note: Watch out for making Sam uptight all the way through. He is nervous, and the budget talk is where he hides. The turn is the plus-one: 'It is now.' Javi has to catch that Sam just invented it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for young voices that sound eighteen without sounding like cartoons.
Neighbouring allotments, early spring. MARGARET, 68, a widow. ARTHUR, 71, a widower who took the next plot last year and has lost every battle with the slugs
ARTHURMorning, Margaret. Don't look at my cabbages.
MARGARETI've seen them, Arthur. The whole committee has seen them.
ARTHURThe slugs had a banquet. They sent a thank-you card.
MARGARETYou need copper tape round the beds. And you water far too late in the day.
ARTHURJoan always did the garden. I just carried the bags.
MARGARETFrank was the same. Forty years, and he couldn't tell a weed from a dahlia.
ARTHURI brought you something. It's only a seed catalogue. I've marked the pages I don't understand.
MARGARETThat's every page.
ARTHURIt is, yes.
MARGARETArthur, are you asking me to do your garden for you?
ARTHURI'm asking if you'd sit with me on Thursday and go through it. There's a café by the garden centre. They do a scone.
MARGARET...A good scone?
ARTHURA reasonable scone.
MARGARETI'll bring a pen. You'll need more than copper tape.
ARTHURI'll need all the help I can get.
MARGARETYes. I had noticed.
ARTHURTwo o'clock?
MARGARETHalf past one. The scones go by two.
What it is for: Late-life romance with two people who have both done this before. Trains understatement and comic rhythm at a mature pace. Coach's note: Watch out for playing them old and slow. They are sharp and they enjoy each other. The ask is buried in 'There's a café by the garden centre'; Margaret should clock it on 'A good scone?' and decide. What casting listens for: Casting listens for mature voices with timing and warmth that never tips into cosy.
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A railway telegraph office in Nebraska, 1926. RUTH, 24, the operator. WALTER, 27, a farmer who has come in every week for a month to send the same telegram
RUTHAfternoon, Mr. Hale. The usual?
WALTERThe usual.
RUTHTo your brother in Omaha. "Crop fine. Weather dry. Walter."
WALTERThat's the one.
RUTHFour weeks of the same four words. He'll think you've been struck by lightning.
WALTERHe hasn't written back.
RUTHBecause I haven't sent them.
WALTER...You haven't?
RUTHYour brother moved to Denver in the spring. His wife told me at church.
WALTERThen why'd you take my money?
RUTHI didn't. It's in an envelope in the drawer. Eighty cents. I was waiting for you to tell me why you really come in.
WALTERMiss Carver.
RUTHRuth.
WALTERRuth. This office has the only window in town that faces west. And you sit in it.
RUTHThat's the most words you've ever said to me.
WALTERIt cost more than eighty cents.
RUTHThere's a social at the Grange on Saturday. You could spend it there.
WALTERI don't dance.
RUTHI'll teach you. Crop fine. Weather dry.
What it is for: A period romance where a quiet man finally says the thing. Trains a confident, dry lead opposite a man of very few words. Coach's note: Watch out for Walter mumbling. He is shy, not inaudible, and every word costs him. Ruth drives the scene until 'Ruth.' Then she has to let him speak and not rescue him. What casting listens for: Casting listens for period flavour carried by rhythm and restraint, not by a put-on old-timey voice.
Two Desks Apart
Enemies to lovers, workplaceAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)1 minuteabout 78s
Cast: CASSHOLLIS
A newsroom at midnight. CASS, 31, twelve years on the politics desk. HOLLIS, 29, the new hire who has scooped her twice this month. Both waiting on the same source
CASSYou're in my chair.
HOLLISIt has wheels. It's everybody's chair.
CASSIt has my back cushion on it.
HOLLISThat's why I'm in it. Your back cushion is excellent.
CASSGet your own.
HOLLISI had one. Somebody stole it. Probably someone who's been here eleven years and thinks the building owes her.
CASSTwelve years.
HOLLISWorse.
CASSHe's not going to call you, you know. The councilman's aide. He calls me.
HOLLISHe called me Tuesday.
CASS...He did not.
HOLLISHe asked if "the scary one with the red glasses" was still on the zoning story.
CASSWhat did you say?
HOLLISI said yes. I said she's the best reporter on this floor and he should talk to her.
CASSWhy would you do that?
HOLLISBecause I want to beat you at full strength. And because you're cute when you're furious. That second part's off the record.
CASSNothing's off the record at midnight.
HOLLISThen print it.
What it is for: Rival reporters sparring at midnight. Trains quick status play and a confession slipped in as a throwaway. Coach's note: Watch out for Hollis landing 'you're cute when you're furious' as a big romantic moment. She throws it away, fast, like a joke, because she's scared of it. Cass has to hear it anyway; her last line is the tell. What casting listens for: Casting listens for real speed and wit between two voices that sound clearly different.
A city dog park. ALEX, 29, owner of an enormous shy dog. JORDAN, 32, owner of a tiny furious one. The dogs have been inseparable for weeks; the owners have never exchanged names
JORDANHe's doing it again.
ALEXI know.
JORDANYour dog is lying on my dog.
ALEXIt's how he shows affection. He's a leaner.
JORDANPickles is eight pounds. She's being flattened with love.
ALEXShe started it. She bit his ear on the first day.
JORDANThat's also affection. Where she's from.
ALEXWhere's she from?
JORDANA parking lot in Tucson. She's seen things.
ALEXThat explains a lot.
JORDANI just realised I know your dog's name, his vet, his favourite ball, and his feelings about pigeons.
ALEXStrongly against.
JORDANAnd I don't know your name.
ALEX...You call me "Moose's person." I've heard you.
JORDANOut loud?
ALEXTo Pickles. Every day. "Oh look, it's Moose's person."
JORDANI am so sorry.
ALEXIt's Alex. And for the record, you're "Pickles's person" in my head.
JORDANOnly in your head?
ALEXFor now. I'd like to put you in my phone.
What it is for: Two strangers who know everything about each other's dogs and nothing about each other. Trains playful escalation and a sincere landing. Coach's note: Watch out for rushing the reveal. 'You call me Moose's person' is the pivot; Jordan needs a full beat of embarrassment before 'Out loud?'. Alex drives the ending and should slow down on the last line. What casting listens for: Casting listens for chemistry that comes from listening: every line should sound like a reaction to the one before.
The last bus out of Glasgow city centre. ISLA, 23, and CALLUM, 25, have caught it from the same stop for three months. Tonight she sits next to him
ISLAIs this seat free?
CALLUMThe whole bus is free. There's us and a man eating a pie.
ISLAI know. I wanted this one.
CALLUM...Right.
ISLAYou read the same book every night.
CALLUMI read it slowly.
ISLAYou've been on page two hundred since August.
CALLUMYou've been watching my page numbers?
ISLAThere's not much else to do on the forty-two. The pie man's not a talker.
CALLUMThe truth is, I keep losing my place.
ISLAWhy?
CALLUMBecause you get on at Hope Street, and I look up, and then I've no idea what I've read.
ISLAOh.
CALLUMThat was more honest than I meant.
ISLANo. It was fine. It was good.
CALLUMYour stop's next.
ISLAI know. I'm going to miss it.
CALLUMOn purpose?
ISLAOn purpose. Tell me what happens on page two hundred.
CALLUMI genuinely couldn't tell you. Start from the beginning?
What it is for: Three months of silence on a night bus, broken at last. Trains intimacy at low volume and a confession that slips out. Coach's note: Watch out for Callum playing the confession as a line. 'Because you get on at Hope Street' comes out before he can stop it, and 'That was more honest than I meant' is him catching up with himself. Isla takes over from there. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a natural Glasgow lilt and for two people who sound close to the mic and close to each other.
Sugar War
Enemies to lovers, small townAdult (30-45)Southern USTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 2.0 min
Cast: BEAURAFE
Main Street in a small Georgia town, the night before the county fair. BEAU, 41, owns the old bakery. RAFE, 36, opened a new one across the street six months ago. They are judging the pie contest together
BEAUYou gave the peach a six.
RAFEIt was a six.
BEAUThat's Miss Delphine's peach. She's won this contest nineteen years running.
RAFEThen she's due a six.
BEAUYou do not give Miss Delphine a six. This is not New York.
RAFEI'm from Macon.
BEAUSame thing.
RAFEIt's two hours down the road.
BEAUYou know what I mean. You came in with your sourdough and your little chalkboard and your oat milk.
RAFEPeople like the oat milk.
BEAUPeople like you. That's the problem. My Saturday line's half what it was.
RAFE...Is that why you haven't said a civil word to me since March?
BEAUI say civil words.
RAFEYou called my croissants "ambitious."
BEAUThat was a compliment.
RAFEIt was not delivered as one.
BEAUFine. They're good. I went in on a Tuesday in a hat and bought three.
RAFEThat was you? In the fishing hat?
BEAUIt's a perfectly good hat.
RAFEI thought you were a food critic. I gave you extra butter.
BEAUI noticed.
RAFEBeau, I didn't come here to put you out of business. My grandmother's from here, and your bakery was the first place I ever had a biscuit that made me cry.
BEAU...That's my daddy's recipe.
RAFEI know. I've been trying to get it right for six months.
BEAUWell. You won't get it right from across the street.
RAFEIs that an offer?
BEAUTuesday. Five a.m. Wear the hat. And change the peach to a nine.
What it is for: Rival bakers forced onto the same judging table. Trains Southern comic rhythm and a rivalry that turns out to be admiration. Coach's note: Watch out for Beau playing it mean. He is proud and a little wounded, and the bluster is all bruise. The turn is the biscuit: Rafe's line about crying over it has to land on Beau as a surprise, and 'That was my daddy's recipe' is quiet. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a Southern accent that stays natural at speed and for real warmth underneath the bickering.
Grid Reference
Slow burn, workplaceAdult (40-55)ScottishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.8 min
Cast: FIONAKERRY
A mountain rescue bothy in the Cairngorms, sheltering from a whiteout. FIONA, 44, team leader, twenty years on the hills. KERRY, 33, in her first winter on the team, who left the line to reach a casualty and got them both stranded
FIONAHold still. Give me your hands.
KERRYThey're fine.
FIONAThey're white. Give them here. Inside my jacket.
KERRYThat's... okay. That's warm.
FIONAThat's the idea.
KERRYYou're going to write me up.
FIONAI'm going to write you up.
KERRYHe'd have gone over the edge. You heard him.
FIONAI heard him. Then I heard you leave the line without telling anyone, and I had to follow a head torch down a gully in the dark.
KERRYYou didn't have to.
FIONAYes, Kerry. I did.
KERRYBecause you're team leader.
FIONA...Aye. Because I'm team leader.
KERRYThat was a long pause.
FIONAIt's cold. My mouth's slow.
KERRYThe helicopter can't fly till it clears. That's hours.
FIONAThen we've hours. There's a stove and two teabags. I'll make one. You keep your hands where they are.
KERRYFiona. When you came down that gully. You said my name like...
FIONALike I thought you'd fallen.
KERRYLike you'd not have been able to stand it if I had.
FIONAKerry.
KERRYI'm only asking.
FIONAYou're not asking. You're telling me what you heard.
KERRYWas I wrong?
FIONA...No. You weren't wrong. And you're still getting written up.
KERRYThat's fair.
FIONAKeep your hands there.
KERRYI wasn't planning on moving them.
What it is for: Two rescuers stuck in a bothy waiting out a whiteout. Trains a clipped, controlled leader whose control slips once. Coach's note: Watch out for Fiona going soft too early. She is team leader right up to the pause after 'Because I'm team leader', and that pause is the whole scene. Kerry has to push without being cheeky; she is frightened too. What casting listens for: Casting listens for Scottish voices with grit and restraint, and for a lot of feeling carried in very few words.
Gate Nine
Second chanceAdult (30-45)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.7 min
Cast: MARCUSLENA
An airport gate in Denver, a four-hour delay. LENA, 38, a surgeon. MARCUS, 39, a high-school music teacher. They were engaged at twenty-six; she left for residency and he didn't follow
MARCUSLena Park.
LENAOh, God. Marcus.
MARCUS"Oh God, Marcus." That's what you said when I proposed.
LENAThat was a good oh God.
MARCUSWas it? Hard to tell. You were crying into a burrito.
LENAIt was a very emotional burrito. What are you doing in Denver?
MARCUSBand trip. Forty-two sixteen-year-olds and a tuba that doesn't fit in the overhead.
LENAYou're a teacher.
MARCUSTwelve years. You're a surgeon. My mom sends me your hospital's newsletter.
LENAShe does not.
MARCUSShe circles your name in red. Like a warning.
LENAThat sounds like her.
MARCUSAre you happy? Sorry. That's a big question for a gate.
LENAWe've got four hours.
MARCUSThen are you?
LENAI'm good at my job. I have a very nice apartment I'm never in. I have a plant I named after you.
MARCUSYou named a plant after me?
LENAIt's a cactus. It survives on no attention whatsoever.
MARCUSThat's fair.
LENAAre you? Happy?
MARCUSMostly. I married someone. It didn't take. We're friends. I still think about the burrito.
LENAI should have asked you to come.
MARCUSI should have come without being asked.
SFX: a gate announcement chime
LENAThat's not us.
MARCUSNo. Four more hours.
LENABuy me a burrito, Marcus.
MARCUSOnly if I get the good oh God.
What it is for: Former fiancés trapped at the same gate for four hours. Trains easy banter covering real regret. Coach's note: Watch out for going heavy on 'I should have asked you to come.' It works because it arrives in the middle of jokes; say it plainly and let Marcus answer fast. The cactus joke is Lena being honest sideways. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two actors who can be funny and sad in the same breath without signalling which one they're doing.
The Dance Card
Historical, RegencyYoung adult (18-25)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.9 min
Cast: ELEANORHENRY
An assembly room in Bath, 1814. ELEANOR ASHBY, 21, sharp-tongued and in her third Season. CAPTAIN HENRY WARD, 29, a naval officer home from sea, who has asked for a dance she has already given away
ELEANORMy card is full, Captain.
HENRYIt was empty an hour ago. I watched you fill it.
ELEANORThen you watched me fill it with gentlemen who asked first.
HENRYMr. Pym has put his name down for the cotillion. Mr. Pym is sixty and has the gout.
ELEANORMr. Pym is a very gentle dancer.
HENRYMr. Pym is asleep in the card room.
ELEANOR...Is he?
HENRYSnoring. Quite musically.
ELEANORThen I shall sit the cotillion out and be grateful for the rest.
HENRYMiss Ashby. Have I offended you?
ELEANORYou told my brother I had the tongue of a boatswain.
HENRYI meant it as the highest praise. I have served with boatswains. They are the most honest men afloat.
ELEANORIt did not travel well to a drawing room.
HENRYFew things of mine do. I have been at sea since I was twelve. I am better at gales than conversation.
ELEANORYou are not so very bad at conversation.
HENRYThat is the kindest thing anyone has said to me in Bath.
ELEANORYou have been in Bath four days.
HENRYAnd on every one of them I have looked for you first when I came into a room. There. I have said it like a boatswain.
ELEANOR...Give me my card.
HENRYAre you striking out Mr. Pym?
ELEANORMr. Pym is asleep. It would be cruel to wake him. Write your name, Captain. Plainly. Sailors' handwriting is notorious.
What it is for: A Regency ballroom sparring match with a naval officer who can't do small talk. Trains period diction that still sounds spoken. Coach's note: Watch out for making Eleanor haughty. She is hurt and very quick, and she enjoys winning. Henry's confession, 'I have looked for you first', should come out blunt and slightly too loud, like a man used to shouting over wind. What casting listens for: Casting listens for period dialogue that sounds like people talking, not reciting.
A diner booth after a college party. MIA, 20, asked her roommate TESS, 20, to pretend to be her girlfriend so her ex would stop texting. It worked too well
TESSOkay, debrief. How did I do?
MIAYou were amazing. Too amazing. Where did the forehead kiss come from?
TESSI improvised. Kayla was watching. I committed to the bit.
MIAYou committed so hard she left the party.
TESSThat's a result.
MIAShe's texting me. "Since when? Since WHEN?" All caps.
TESSTell her since the Hawaiian pizza incident.
MIAThere was no Hawaiian pizza incident.
TESSThere was. October. You had the flu. I ordered it, you said pineapple on pizza was a crime, then you ate four slices and fell asleep on my shoulder during the baking show.
MIAThat's not an incident. That's a Tuesday.
TESSWell. It was an incident for me.
MIAWhat does that mean?
TESSNothing. Eat your fries.
MIATess.
TESSThey're getting cold. Cold fries are a tragedy.
MIATess. Was tonight a bit?
TESSWas it a bit for you?
MIAI asked first.
TESSYou asked me to fake it. That's asking first in a very specific way.
MIAOkay. It wasn't a bit. Not the forehead part. I've been thinking about the forehead part for two hours.
TESSMe too. It's been very distracting. I just put ketchup on a napkin.
MIASo what do I tell Kayla?
TESSTell her since October. It's true.
MIASince October.
TESSAnd give me your fries. You're clearly not going to eat them.
What it is for: A fake-dating debrief that turns real over diner fries. Trains fast comic dialogue and deflection that runs out of road. Coach's note: Watch out for Tess playing it cool too long. From 'it was an incident for me' she is cornered, and the fries are her escape hatch. Mia drives the confession with 'Was tonight a bit?'; give it weight, then let the scene go light again. What casting listens for: Casting listens for young, natural voices with real comic timing and no sitcom mugging.
Reading Glasses
Contemporary, matureMature (55+)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.9 min
Cast: WALTHAROLD
A library meeting room after book club. HAROLD, 72, a retired chemistry teacher. WALT, 69, a retired English teacher. They have disagreed about every book for two years
WALTYou didn't read it.
HAROLDI read it.
WALTYou read the back.
HAROLDI read the back thoroughly. It was a very persuasive back.
WALTThen who died in chapter nine?
HAROLD...The uncle.
WALTThere's no uncle.
HAROLDThere should have been. It would have livened things up.
WALTTwo years, Harold. Two years of you arguing about books you haven't finished.
HAROLDI finish them. I finish them after. When I know what you're going to say.
WALTWhy would you wait for what I'm going to say?
HAROLDBecause you get angry about them. In a very particular way. You take your glasses off and point them.
WALTI do not point them.
HAROLDYou're pointing them right now.
WALT...I'm cleaning them.
HAROLDAt me.
WALTThat's the dumbest reason I've ever heard for reading a book.
HAROLDIs it? I spent forty years teaching fifteen-year-olds how acids work. Nobody ever got angry about a book in front of me. Not like that. Like it mattered.
WALTIt does matter.
HAROLDI know. I learned that from you.
WALTHarold. What are you saying?
HAROLDI'm saying next month, you pick the book. And come to dinner first and tell me about it. So I'm ahead for once.
WALTThat sounds like a date.
HAROLDOnly if you want it to be.
WALTI've been choosing books you'd hate for two years just to watch you argue.
HAROLDThen we've both been wasting a great deal of time.
What it is for: Two retired teachers who have argued about books for two years for reasons they haven't said. Trains mature comic timing and a gentle reveal. Coach's note: Watch out for Harold playing sly. He's sincere, and a little amazed at himself. The turn is 'Nobody ever got angry about a book in front of me.' Walt's glasses business is physical: hear him stop pointing them. What casting listens for: Casting listens for mature male voices that are distinct from each other and never slide into grumpy-old-man cliché.
The Performance Review
WorkplaceAdult (30-45)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.9 min
Cast: GREGNADIA
A glass-walled meeting room. NADIA, 35, head of design. GREG, 37, head of engineering. A new HR system has made them assess each other in person. They have been polite rivals for three years
GREG"Strengths." You go first.
NADIAStrengths. Punctual. Owns a stapler.
GREGThat's it?
NADIAIt's a very good stapler.
GREGFine. Yours. "Strengths: bold. Visionary."
NADIAThank you.
GREG"Visions often arrive at four fifty-five on a Friday."
NADIAThat's not a strength, that's a complaint.
GREGI put it under strengths because it's the only time I get to see you.
NADIA...Sorry?
GREGNothing. Next section. "Areas for growth."
NADIANo, go back.
GREGWe're on a schedule. HR booked this room for thirty minutes.
NADIAGreg. What did you mean?
GREGI meant every Friday at four fifty-five you come to my desk with a new idea, and I stay till eight making it work, and I've never once minded. That's what I meant. It's in the form now. It's permanent.
NADIAYou put that in an HR form.
GREGI panicked. There was a box.
NADIAOkay. My turn. Areas for growth.
GREGGo on.
NADIA"Greg should know that nobody has an idea at four fifty-five. I have the idea on Tuesday. I wait till Friday."
GREGWhy?
NADIABecause on Fridays you order Thai food and let me have the last spring roll.
GREGSo the whole time—
NADIAThree years of fake deadlines, Greg.
GREGThat's a terrible management practice.
NADIAPut it in the form.
GREGWhat do we tell HR?
NADIAThat we're working on our communication. Friday. Seven. Somewhere that isn't your desk.
What it is for: Two department heads forced to review each other face to face. Trains corporate language as a mask for feeling. Coach's note: Watch out for Greg explaining the Friday line calmly. He blurted it into an HR form and he is mortified; let him rush. Nadia takes the scene back on 'My turn,' and her reveal about the fake deadlines is a confession disguised as feedback. What casting listens for: Casting listens for grounded, adult comedy where both people are smart and both are embarrassed.
Harbour Lights
Small town, second chanceAdult (25-40)AustralianTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 2.0 min
Cast: DANNYJESS
A jetty in a fishing town on the south coast of New South Wales, dusk. JESS, 29, home to sell her late father's boat. DANNY, 31, the deckhand who worked it with him for ten years
DANNYShe's not for sale.
JESSShe's mine, Danny. Dad left her to me. It's in the will.
DANNYHe left you a lot of things. He didn't expect you to flog them all in a week.
JESSI live in Melbourne. I work in insurance. What am I meant to do with a thirty-foot trawler, park it at the office?
DANNYYou could keep her here.
JESSAnd who'd take her out?
DANNY...I would.
JESSYou can't afford the mooring. I've seen your ute.
DANNYWhat's wrong with my ute?
JESSIt's held together with a bumper sticker.
DANNYIt's a very strong bumper sticker.
JESSI'm serious. I've got a buyer from Eden. Good price.
DANNYHe'll strip her for parts.
JESSSo what do you want me to do?
DANNYStay till the weekend. Come out once. Saturday, four a.m. See what he saw.
JESSI grew up on that boat, Danny.
DANNYYou haven't been out since you were seventeen. You used to sit on the bow and sing flat and scare the fish.
JESSI did not sing flat.
DANNYThe fish have a different opinion.
JESSWhy do you care so much? Honestly.
DANNYBecause the whole time you were gone, he talked about you. Every trip. "When Jessie comes home." And I'd sit there and think, yeah. When Jessie comes home.
JESS...You thought that?
DANNYTen years. You just never came.
JESSFour a.m.?
DANNYI'll bring the coffee. You bring the singing.
JESSI'm not singing.
DANNYYou'll sing. Everybody sings at sunrise.
What it is for: A trawler, a will and a deckhand who has waited ten years. Trains laconic Australian humour over a lot of feeling. Coach's note: Watch out for Danny getting earnest too early. He argues about the boat because he can't argue about her. The turn is 'When Jessie comes home': it should sound like he's quoting her dad and then realises he's talking about himself. What casting listens for: Casting listens for an Australian accent that sounds relaxed and real, with the emotion carried underneath rather than on top.
The Karaoke Rule
Rom-com, friends to loversAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.8 min
Cast: BENROSIE
A karaoke bar on a Thursday night. BEN, 30, and ROSIE, 29, best friends since college. They have one rule: no duets. Rosie has just signed them up
BENYou wrote both our names.
ROSIEI did.
BENOn the same line.
ROSIEThere's one line per song. That's how it works.
BENWe have a rule. We made it in 2018. No duets. Duets are how friendships die.
ROSIEYou made that rule. I'd had three margaritas and agreed with everything. I agreed that night that pigeons were government drones.
BENThey are.
ROSIEBen.
BENWhat song?
ROSIEI'm not telling you.
BENIs it a slow one?
ROSIEIt's a medium one.
BENRosie, you can't sing.
ROSIEI know. That's not the point.
BENWhat's the point?
ROSIEThe point is you've stood next to me for eight years singing everything except with me, and I'd like to know what happens.
BENWhat happens is we're terrible and the bartender skips to the next song.
ROSIEMaybe.
BENAnd what if it's not terrible? Then what? Then it's weird.
ROSIEBen. It's been weird since my cousin's wedding.
BEN...You remember the wedding.
ROSIEYou held my hand through the whole slideshow. There were two hundred photos. My hand was sweating.
BENI thought you'd forgotten.
ROSIEI didn't forget. I was waiting for you to break the rule.
SFX: the host taps the microphone
BENThat's us.
ROSIEThat's us.
BENIf I sing and it's bad—
ROSIEThen it's bad with me. Come on. Medium song.
What it is for: Best friends, one rule, and a sign-up sheet. Trains a nervous lead trying to joke his way out of a confession. Coach's note: Watch out for ben's panic being loud. It's fast and quiet, the kind you have at a bar table. Rosie drives the scene, and 'it's been weird since my cousin's wedding' is her putting her cards down; give Ben a real silence before he answers. What casting listens for: Casting listens for the comfort of an eight-year friendship in the rhythm before the romance arrives.
The Lamplighter
Historical, VictorianAdult (25-40)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.8 min
Cast: TOMANNIE
A Kensington street at dusk, 1889. TOM, 26, the lamplighter. ANNIE, 22, a housemaid who has opened the same attic window every evening for a month, just as he reaches her lamp
TOMEvening, miss.
ANNIEEvening. You're late.
TOMI'm exactly on time. The lamp's late. The lamps have their own opinions.
ANNIEMrs. Pell says you're the slowest lamplighter in Kensington.
TOMMrs. Pell times me?
ANNIEThe whole house times you. Cook has a wager on.
TOMWhat's the wager?
ANNIEWhether you'll ever say anything to me but "evening, miss."
TOM...How's the betting going?
ANNIECook's losing a shilling a week.
TOMI'm sorry for Cook.
ANNIEDon't be. She's put money on tonight.
TOMWhy tonight?
ANNIEBecause I told her I'll not be opening the window tomorrow.
TOMYou're leaving?
ANNIEI've a new place. In Bristol. A doctor's house. Better wages, and a room with a fireplace.
TOMThat's... that's grand. That's very good for you.
ANNIEIt is.
TOMBristol has lamps.
ANNIEI expect it does.
TOMI could light them. Just as well as these. Better, if I had a reason.
ANNIETom Harker. Is that you saying something besides "evening, miss"?
TOMI think it might be.
ANNIEThen say the rest of it, before Mrs. Pell sees the window.
TOMI'll ask for a transfer. And on Sunday, if you'll walk with me in the park, I'll tell you why I've been so slow on this street.
ANNIEI know why.
TOMI'd still like to say it.
ANNIESunday, then. Cook will be unbearable.
What it is for: A Victorian street, a lamp, and a whole household betting on a shy man. Trains playful period banter and a quiet declaration. Coach's note: Watch out for Tom being slick. He's slow on purpose on this street and hopeless at talking, so every line is a small risk. Annie is having fun until 'I've a new place', and she needs him to hear the deadline in it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for London working-class warmth without a stage Cockney, and for a romantic lead who is funny.
Custody of the Cat
Second chanceAdult (40-55)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 1.8 min
Cast: ROBINCASEY
A lawyer's waiting room. CASEY, 46, and ROBIN, 48, are finalising their divorce. Everything is settled but one item: Admiral, a fourteen-year-old cat
ROBINHe's mine. I picked him.
CASEYYou picked him because he bit me.
ROBINHe bit you because you held him like a baguette.
CASEYI'd never held a cat!
ROBINClearly.
CASEYHe sleeps on my side of the bed.
ROBINBecause it's warmer. You run hot. It's not a moral victory.
CASEYHe waits for me at the window.
ROBINHe waits for the mail carrier. He's in love with Denise.
CASEYEveryone's in love with Denise.
ROBINThat's true.
CASEYHe's fourteen, Robin. He's got maybe two years. I'm not missing them.
ROBINNeither am I.
CASEYSo what, we split him? Week on, week off? He throws up in the car.
ROBINHe throws up everywhere. He's an artist.
CASEYRemember when he got stuck in the dryer vent?
ROBINYou sat on the floor with a flashlight for three hours singing to him.
CASEYIt worked.
ROBINIt worked. That was the night I thought, okay. This person. For good.
CASEY...Then what happened?
ROBINWe stopped sitting on the floor. We got busy. We had separate flashlights.
CASEYThat's the most honest thing you've said in a year.
ROBINLawyers are expensive. It concentrates the mind.
CASEYWhat if we didn't sign today?
ROBINWe'd lose the deposit.
CASEYWhat if we went home, and sat on the floor, and figured out who gets the cat?
ROBINThat could take a while.
CASEYHe's got two years. We could start there.
What it is for: A divorcing couple with everything settled except the cat. Trains bickering that is really remembering. Coach's note: Watch out for playing the fight as a fight. They've done this for twenty years and they are good at it; it's almost fun. The turn is the dryer vent, and Robin's 'This person. For good.' should surprise Robin as much as Casey. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a long shared history carried in the rhythm, two people finishing each other's arguments.
One Percent
Slow burnYoung adult (18-25)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)90 secondsabout 2.0 min
Cast: NOAHKAI
A university observatory at 3 a.m. KAI, 24, a PhD student with the telescope booked. NOAH, 23, the undergrad technician paid to stay awake with him. Their fourth night
NOAHYou're doing the thing again.
KAIWhat thing?
NOAHTalking to the telescope. You said "come on, sweetheart" to it.
KAIIt responds to encouragement.
NOAHIt's a mirror in a tube.
KAISo are most people.
NOAHThat doesn't mean anything.
KAIIt sounded deep at three a.m.
NOAHWhat are you even looking for? You've told me four times and I've nodded four times.
KAIA dip. When a planet crosses in front of its star, the star gets dimmer. Barely. About one percent. If you're not paying attention, you miss it.
NOAHOne percent.
KAIYou have to stare at the same thing for hours and notice it change.
NOAH...That sounds lonely.
KAIIt was. Before.
NOAHBefore what?
KAIBefore the technician brought two coffees on the second night, without asking how I take it, and got it right.
NOAHYou left the cup on the desk the first night. Milk, no sugar. It wasn't hard.
KAIMost people don't notice.
NOAHI'm paid to notice. That's the whole job. I sit here and notice things.
KAIWhat have you noticed?
NOAHThat you stop talking to the telescope when I come back in the room. That you've booked eleven more nights, and the study only needs six.
KAI...You read my proposal.
NOAHIt was on the desk. Next to the coffee.
KAISo you knew.
NOAHOne percent. You have to be paying attention.
SFX: a soft beep from the computer
KAIThat's... that's the dip.
NOAHYeah?
KAIYeah. Stay here. I want someone to have seen it with me.
What it is for: A night shift at a university telescope and a slow, precise confession. Trains low-energy, late-night intimacy with humour in it. Coach's note: Watch out for Noah playing it smug when he reveals he read the proposal. He's nervous; 'It was on the desk' is him covering. The science speech is Kai's real passion, not exposition. Make us care about one percent and the ending lands. What casting listens for: Casting listens for quiet, close-mic reads where the listening is as audible as the talking.
Proposal Practice
Rom-com, unrequitedAdult (25-40)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)2 minutesabout 2.6 min
Cast: DEVLUCY
An empty restaurant after closing. LUCY, 31, the pastry chef. DEV, 32, her best friend since school, who is proposing to his girlfriend Claire here tomorrow and has asked Lucy to stand in for a rehearsal
DEVOkay. You're Claire. You're sitting there. You don't suspect a thing.
LUCYClaire would suspect. You've been sweating since Tuesday.
DEVI'm not sweating.
LUCYYou're glistening like a glazed bun.
DEVJust be Claire. Please.
LUCYFine. "Oh, Dev, what a lovely restaurant. I hope nothing unusual happens."
DEVShe doesn't talk like that.
LUCYHow does she talk?
DEVNormal. Quieter. She says "super" a lot.
LUCY"Super restaurant, Dev."
DEVOkay, that's actually pretty good. So, dessert comes. You're making it, by the way.
LUCYI know. Chocolate torte, ring on a raspberry.
DEVNot in the torte. Beside it. Someone at work's cousin swallowed one.
LUCYFine. Ring beside the torte. Go.
DEVClaire. When I met you, I—
LUCYStand up. You can't propose sitting down, you look like you're doing your taxes.
DEVRight. Right. Claire. When I met you, I didn't know what I wanted. I'd been in the same place for a long time. Same town, same job, same friends.
LUCYHarsh.
DEVSame friend. One friend. And you made me want to find out what else was out there.
LUCY...That's nice.
DEVIs it? Is it too much?
LUCYNo. It's good. She'll like it.
DEVThen the ring. And I say, "Will you—" And she says...
LUCYShe says yes, Dev.
DEVYou didn't let me finish.
LUCYI don't need to. She'll say yes. Anyone would.
DEVLuce. You okay?
LUCYI'm tired. I've been up since four doing croissants.
DEVYou're crying.
LUCYIt's flour. It gets in your eyes.
DEVWe're not in the kitchen.
LUCYIt travels, Dev. It's very fine flour.
DEVLucy.
LUCYGo home. Practise in the mirror. The torte will be perfect. I promise.
DEVHave I been doing this to you for a long time?
LUCYOnly since we were sixteen. It's fine. It's my fault for never saying anything.
DEV...Say it now.
LUCYNo. You've got a ring in your pocket. Go and be happy. That's what I want. Really. That's what I've always wanted.
What it is for: A best friend helps rehearse a proposal to someone else. Trains comedy that turns to heartbreak without the actor announcing it. Coach's note: Watch out for Lucy crying from the top. She is funny and useful for most of this, and the break only starts on 'She'll say yes. Anyone would.' Dev drives the first half with nerves; in the second half he has to catch up to what he's seeing, and 'Say it now' is a real question. What casting listens for: Casting listens for how late an actor can hold the secret, and whether the comedy stays honest once the sadness arrives.
The Best Woman
Enemies to loversAdult (25-40)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)2 minutesabout 2.7 min
Cast: HARRIETGEORGIA
A hotel function room the night before a wedding. HARRIET, 33, the bride's maid of honour, a planner with a laminated schedule. GEORGIA, 30, the groom's best woman, who has not looked at the schedule once. They are folding four hundred napkins into swans
HARRIETThat's not a swan.
GEORGIAIt's an interpretation of a swan.
HARRIETIt's a napkin with a neck injury.
GEORGIASome swans have neck injuries. It's inclusive.
HARRIETWe've three hundred and eighty to go. Could you please look at the diagram?
GEORGIAI looked at the diagram. The diagram is lying.
HARRIETThe diagram is from a professional.
GEORGIAThe diagram is from you. You drew it. That's your handwriting in the corner. "Fold firmly."
HARRIETThat's good advice.
GEORGIAYou underlined "firmly" three times.
HARRIETBecause you fold everything like it's a paper aeroplane.
GEORGIAYou've been cross with me since the hen do.
HARRIETI have not.
GEORGIAYou have. Ever since I took Priya to the karaoke bar instead of the wine tasting.
HARRIETThe wine tasting was booked. Non-refundable. I'd planned it for four months.
GEORGIAAnd she had the best night of her life at the karaoke bar.
HARRIETI know. I've seen the video. She sang an entire power ballad standing on a chair.
GEORGIAYou were laughing. At the back. I saw you.
HARRIETI was checking my phone.
GEORGIAYou were checking your phone while crying with laughter?
HARRIET...It was very funny. The chair wobbled.
GEORGIASo why are you still cross?
HARRIETBecause you make things look easy. I plan for four months and you walk in with a microphone and everyone has a better time.
GEORGIAHarriet. I only knew about that bar because you mentioned it. In the group chat. In March. You said, "If I weren't so boring I'd take her somewhere like this."
HARRIETI don't remember saying that.
GEORGIAI do. I screenshotted it. I thought, she's wrong about the boring bit. Somebody ought to tell her.
HARRIETAnd you decided that somebody was you?
GEORGIAWell. I was hoping you'd sit with me at the reception tomorrow, and I'd tell you properly. There's a very firmly folded swan on the seat next to mine.
HARRIETYou folded one properly?
GEORGIATook me forty minutes. I followed the diagram.
HARRIET...Show me.
GEORGIAIt's got a neck injury.
HARRIETI don't care. Show me.
What it is for: The maid of honour and the best woman folding napkin swans the night before a wedding. Trains a long comic argument that turns into a confession. Coach's note: Watch out for Harriet being a cartoon of uptight. She is precise because she cares, and she is hurt. The turn is Georgia's screenshot: from 'I do. I screenshotted it.' Georgia stops performing, and Harriet has to go very quiet before 'Show me.' What casting listens for: Casting listens for British comic rhythm, two clearly different energies, and a pay-off that is earned rather than sweet.
Class of '81
Second chance, matureMature (55+)Southern USTwo narrators (duet)2 minutesabout 2.6 min
Cast: EARLDEE
A high-school gym in Alabama, a forty-five-year reunion. DEE, 63, a widowed retired teacher. EARL, 64, divorced and back in town this year. They went steady senior year until he left for the Navy without a word
EARLDee Watkins.
DEEIt's Dee Harmon now. Has been for forty years.
EARLI heard. I'm sorry about Ray.
DEEThank you. He was a good man. He'd have hated this. The punch is pink.
EARLThe punch was pink in '81.
DEEIt's the same punch. I think they kept it.
EARLYou look—
DEEDon't. I look sixty-three and my feet hurt. You look like you lost a fight with a sunburn.
EARLThirty years on boats will do that.
DEEEverybody knows. The Navy, the shrimp boats, a wife in Pensacola.
EARLPensacola's over.
DEEI heard that too. This town talks, Earl.
EARLDid it ever say why I left?
DEEIt said you got on a bus on the second of June and didn't leave me so much as a note.
EARLI left a note.
DEEYou did not.
EARLIn your locker. Folded inside your chemistry book.
DEE...I never opened that book.
EARLI know that now. I figured you'd find it by September. When you didn't write back, I figured that was my answer.
DEEEarl Tucker. You put the most important letter of my life in a chemistry book?
EARLI was eighteen. I thought it was romantic. Elements. Bonds.
DEEThat is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
EARLIt's in my top five, too.
DEEWhat did it say?
EARLThat I was scared. That my daddy was drinking again, and if I stayed I'd turn out like him. That I'd come back for you when I was somebody worth coming back for.
DEEAnd were you? Somebody?
EARLTook me longer than I thought.
DEEForty-five years, Earl.
EARLI'm a slow reader. That's why I dropped chemistry.
DEE...That book's in my attic. I kept every schoolbook.
EARLYou could look.
DEEI could. Or you could just tell me the last line and save me the dust.
EARLThe last line was, "Save me a dance at the reunion." I meant the fifth one. I was off by forty years.
DEEWell. The band's still playing. Give me your arm. My feet hurt.
What it is for: High-school sweethearts meet at their forty-five-year reunion and solve a mystery from 1981. Trains mature comic timing and a slow emotional reveal. Coach's note: Watch out for Dee playing bitter. She is tart, not wounded, and she enjoys making him work. The turn is the chemistry book; from 'What did it say?' Earl stops joking, and Dee has to take the whole speech in before she answers. What casting listens for: Casting listens for a Southern accent that sounds like home rather than a performance, and for two mature leads with spark.
The Hymn Books
HistoricalAdult (30-45)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)2 minutesabout 2.5 min
Cast: ROBERTJAMES
A village church vestry in Yorkshire, 1953. JAMES, 32, the organist. ROBERT, 34, the churchwarden, a farmer. After choir practice they are putting the hymn books away. They have walked home the same way every Thursday since spring
ROBERTYou played the last verse faster.
JAMESI played it as written.
ROBERTYou played it like you'd a train to catch. Mrs. Dunning nearly lost her teeth.
JAMESMrs. Dunning sings a bar behind everyone. I was trying to catch her up.
ROBERTYou'll not catch Mrs. Dunning. Nobody has since the war.
JAMESYou're here late.
ROBERTCounting the hymn books. Churchwarden's duty.
JAMESThere are sixty. There have always been sixty. You counted them last week.
ROBERTOne might have walked off.
JAMESRobert.
ROBERTI hear you're leaving.
JAMESWho told you?
ROBERTThe vicar. Very pleased with himself. A cathedral post, in York. He said it like it were good news.
JAMESIt is good news. It's a proper organ. Not one that wheezes on a low C.
ROBERTI like the wheeze. It's got character.
JAMESYou would.
ROBERTWhen?
JAMESAfter Michaelmas.
ROBERTThat's five Thursdays.
JAMESYou've counted those too.
ROBERTI count things. It's how I know where I am.
JAMESYou know why I have to go.
ROBERTI know why you think you have to.
JAMESThis is a very small village. People notice who walks home with whom. Even Mrs. Dunning notices, a bar behind.
ROBERTLet her notice. Two men walking home from choir. There's no law against a lane.
JAMESThere are laws against a great many things.
ROBERT...Aye. I know.
JAMESI'm not brave, Robert. I'm an organist.
ROBERTYou don't have to be brave. You only have to come back at Christmas. They'll want a proper organist for the carols. I'll see to it.
JAMESAnd what would I be coming back to?
ROBERTA wheezy low C. Sixty hymn books. And a man who'll have counted every day till you do.
JAMESThat's not nothing.
ROBERTNo. It's not nothing.
JAMESWalk me home, then. The long way. Past the beck.
ROBERTThat's not the long way. That's the other direction entirely.
JAMESI know. Five Thursdays. I'd like them to take as long as possible.
What it is for: Two men in a 1950s Yorkshire village who cannot say what they mean. Trains subtext: every line about hymn books and organs is about something else. Coach's note: Watch out for saying the subtext out loud with the voice. The words are about counting and wheezy organs; let the listener do the work. The turn is 'There are laws against a great many things.' Robert's 'Aye. I know.' should be the quietest line in the piece. What casting listens for: Casting listens for restraint, a Yorkshire flavour that stays gentle, and two men whose tenderness shows only in timing.
Black Sesame
Slow burn, workplaceAdult (25-40)AustralianTwo narrators (duet)2 minutesabout 2.4 min
Cast: RILEYSAM
Neighbouring stalls at a Friday night market in Brisbane, packing up at eleven. SAM, 34, runs the dumpling stall. RILEY, 30, runs the gelato stall. They have traded food for eight months and split the cost of one extension lead
RILEYYou owe me four dollars for the lead.
SAMI paid you in dumplings.
RILEYDumplings aren't currency.
SAMIn this market they are. Deb at the candle stall takes them for tent pegs.
RILEYDeb takes anything. Deb once took a biro.
SAMIt was a nice biro. Here. Pork and chive. Last six.
RILEY...Fine. Four dollars forgiven.
SAMYou want some gelato for them?
RILEYYou mean do I want to give you gelato.
SAMThat's what I said.
RILEYMango's gone. I've got salted caramel and the black sesame nobody buys.
SAMI'll take the black sesame.
RILEYYou always take the black sesame.
SAMSomebody has to. It's underrated. People walk straight past it because it looks like cement.
RILEYIt does look like cement.
SAMDoesn't taste like cement.
RILEYI made it for you, you know.
SAMWhat?
RILEYThe black sesame. Back in March. You said your nan used to make black sesame soup and nobody makes it anymore. So I worked out a recipe. Took me six goes.
SAMYou've been making a flavour nobody buys for eight months? For me?
RILEYIt's not nobody. There's a bloke on Thursdays.
SAMRiley.
RILEYOne bloke. He's very loyal.
SAMI thought it was on the menu by accident.
RILEYNothing on my menu's an accident. I'm a very organised person. Deb says I'm frightening.
SAMCan I tell you something embarrassing?
RILEYAlways.
SAMThe extension lead. It's not broken. The socket on my side works fine.
RILEYWhat?
SAMI just liked having a reason to be plugged in next to you.
RILEY...You've been making me pay half for a lead we don't need to share?
SAMI've been paying you in dumplings. It evens out.
RILEYThat's the worst flirting I've ever heard.
SAMIs it working?
RILEYPass me the dumplings and sit down. The sesame's melting.
What it is for: Two night-market stallholders who have been flirting through food for eight months. Trains easy, playful dialogue with a double confession. Coach's note: Watch out for riley's gelato reveal getting sentimental. It's delivered as practical information, which is what makes it land. Sam's confession about the extension lead is the second turn; it should be faster and more embarrassed than Riley's. What casting listens for: Casting listens for relaxed Australian voices with charm and play, and for a partner who reacts rather than waits.
A hotel lobby at a company retreat. OLIVER, 36, from the London office. MAYA, 34, from Chicago. They have been on video calls together every day for two years and have never met
MAYAOliver?
OLIVERMaya. Hi. Hello. You're... you have legs.
MAYAI'm sorry?
OLIVERThat came out wrong. I've only ever seen you from the shoulders up. In a little box. You're very tall.
MAYAI'm five-four.
OLIVERWell, you're taller than the box.
MAYAYou're not in a cardigan. I didn't know you owned other clothes.
OLIVERI own three shirts. This is the good one. I ironed it in my room with a hair straightener.
MAYAThat's resourceful.
OLIVERIt's scorched at the back. Please don't walk behind me.
MAYAWhere's your cat? I feel like I should say hi to your cat. She's in every meeting.
OLIVERMarmalade's in London, furious with the neighbour. You haven't brought the plant.
MAYAThe plant's fake. I bought it for the background so I'd look like I had my life together.
OLIVERIt worked. I've been jealous of that plant for two years.
MAYAThis is weird. Isn't this weird?
OLIVERIt's very weird. Two years, and I know you hum when you're thinking, and you hate the colour orange, and you say "right, okay" before you disagree with me.
MAYARight, okay—
OLIVERThere it is.
MAYAI was going to say, you do the same. You say "lovely" when you mean the exact opposite. You said it about the third-quarter budget. Nine times.
OLIVERIt was a very bad budget.
MAYAI know. I wrote it.
OLIVERLovely.
MAYAOliver. The opening dinner's in ten minutes, and there's a seating chart, and I'm on a table with the finance team.
OLIVERI'm by the fire exit with IT.
MAYAI swapped the cards.
OLIVERYou swapped the cards?
MAYARight, okay. I've been wanting to see you from the shoulders down for about eighteen months. I'm not doing it across a room from finance.
OLIVERThat's the loveliest thing anyone's ever said to me.
MAYADo you mean lovely, or "lovely"?
OLIVERThe first one. Definitely the first one. Just don't walk behind me.
What it is for: Two colleagues who have met every day on video for two years meet in person. Trains fast, awkward comedy and a cross-accent duet. Coach's note: Watch out for oliver's awkwardness becoming a bit. He's genuinely rattled, and the scorched shirt is real panic. Maya drives the second half: 'I swapped the cards' is her move, and 'Right, okay' comes back as a callback, so land it like she's aware of it. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two accents that each stay consistent while bouncing fast off each other.
The Last Waltz at Harwell Hall
Historical, post-warAdult (25-40)Neutral BritishTwo narrators (duet)3 minutesabout 3.8 min
Cast: JACKPEGGY
A village hall dance in Kent, 1946. PEGGY, 27, a land girl who has stayed on to run the farm. JACK, 29, just demobbed after four years as a prisoner of war. They wrote to each other all through the war, having met once, the week before he shipped out
JACKMiss Hollis.
PEGGYSergeant Dean. I wasn't sure you'd come.
JACKNor was I. I've been outside by the bicycles for twenty minutes.
PEGGYI know. I saw you through the window. Mrs. Crane thought you were stealing one.
JACKI considered it. It would have been quicker than coming in.
PEGGYWe can stand by the door. The draught's lovely.
JACKYou look different from the photograph.
PEGGYSo do you. You had more of a face in yours.
JACKI had more of everything in mine. Four years of turnip soup.
PEGGYI didn't mean it cruelly.
JACKI know. You never did. Not in a single letter.
PEGGYI had to be careful. They read them before they sent them. I used to picture some poor censor in a hut reading about my pig.
JACKGertrude.
PEGGYYou remember Gertrude.
JACKI remember everything about Gertrude. I read that letter until it came apart at the folds. The lads in my hut used to ask for news. They took it very hard when she had the piglets.
PEGGYWhy?
JACKThey'd a sweepstake on seven. She had nine.
PEGGYShe's still going. Fat as butter and twice as vain.
JACKI'd like to meet her.
PEGGYThat's the nicest thing a man's ever said to me at a dance.
JACKPeggy. Can I say something, before the band starts again?
PEGGYIf you like.
JACKI'm frightened I'm not him. The one who wrote to you. That lad had a lot to say. He had plans. I'm not sure where he went.
PEGGYJack.
JACKI don't sleep much. I don't like the dark. I jump when a door goes. That's not who you were writing to for four years.
PEGGYDo you know what I'm frightened of?
JACKTell me.
PEGGYThat you were writing to a girl who sounded brave. And I'm not. I wrote those letters at the kitchen table at two in the morning because I couldn't sleep either, and I made everything funny so I wouldn't have to say I was scared stiff. Of the planes. Of the telegram boy. Of you not coming home.
JACKYou never said.
PEGGYOf course I never said. What use would that have been to you in a camp in Silesia? You needed a pig.
JACKI did need a pig.
PEGGYSo neither of us is who we wrote. That's all right. We had four years of pretending. We can have a bit of time being the real ones.
JACKThat sounds like a lot of work.
PEGGYIt's a farm, Jack. Everything's a lot of work.
SFX: the band starts a slow waltz
JACKI'm not much of a dancer now.
PEGGYYou weren't much of one then. You trod on me through the whole of the last waltz in 1942.
JACKI remember. I apologised in five letters.
PEGGYSix. Come on. By the door, where the draught is. If you need to stop, we stop.
JACKAnd if I tread on you?
PEGGYThen I'll write it down, and read it to Gertrude.
What it is for: Two people who fell for each other by letter during the war meet again in 1946. Trains long-form duet stamina, humour under trauma, and a shared confession. Coach's note: Watch out for playing Jack as broken. He is careful, dry and trying hard, and the pig stories are how he stays upright. The turn is his 'I'm frightened I'm not him', and Peggy's answer is the heart of the piece; she's matter-of-fact about her fear, which is why it hurts. Listen to each other through the long speeches and don't leave gaps you haven't earned. What casting listens for: Casting listens for whether two actors can hold a three-minute scene with changes of temperature and never lose the thread of the listening.
Every Tuesday
Slow burn, contemporaryAdult (40-55)Neutral AmericanTwo narrators (duet)3 minutesabout 3.5 min
Cast: LOUBEA
A laundromat, Tuesday, 9 p.m. BEA, 52, an ER doctor, divorced. LOU, 45, a sign painter. They have used the same two machines every Tuesday for a year. Tonight Lou's dryer is broken and Bea's has room
LOUDryer six is dead.
BEADryer six has been dying since March. It was only a matter of time.
LOUI put four quarters in. It ate them and made a noise like a goose.
BEAIt does that. I call it the goose. You kick it low, on the left.
LOUI kicked it. It's still a goose.
BEAMine's got room. If you want.
LOUYou'd share a dryer?
BEAIt's a dryer, not a toothbrush.
LOUNo, I know. It's just, you've got a system. Whites on the left, towels folded in thirds. You iron your pillowcases.
BEAHow do you know I iron my pillowcases?
LOUThey're too flat for someone who doesn't.
BEAThat's a very specific observation.
LOUI paint signs. I notice edges.
BEAPut your stuff in. Hurry up, it's already running.
LOUThank you. I'll pay half.
BEAIt's a dollar fifty.
LOUThen seventy-five cents and my undying gratitude.
BEASeventy-five cents is plenty.
LOU...Why do you come on Tuesdays? You've got a nice coat. People with nice coats have washing machines.
BEAThat's an assumption.
LOUIs it wrong?
BEANo. I have a washing machine. It's very good. It plays a little tune when it's done.
LOUSo why?
BEABecause my house is very quiet. My son's in Oregon, my ex-husband's in a condo with a woman who does hot yoga, and I work nights in an emergency room where nobody is ever having a good day. Here, nobody needs anything from me. I just watch the clothes go round.
LOUThat's the most you've ever said to me.
BEAYou've never asked.
LOUI've been trying to ask since October. I was going to ask about your book. The one with the bird on the cover.
BEAThat's a textbook. Toxicology.
LOUOh. Then I'm glad I didn't.
BEAWhy do you come here? You don't have a nice coat.
LOURude.
BEAAccurate.
LOUMy building's machines are in the basement, and there's a guy down there who wants to talk about crypto. And because a year ago, a woman in a nice coat told me dryer six was a goose. And she laughed when she said it, and then she looked surprised that she'd laughed. And I thought, I'd like to see that again.
BEAI don't remember that.
LOUI do. Second Tuesday in September.
BEA...That was the week my divorce was final.
LOUI didn't know.
BEANobody did. It's funny what you'll laugh at.
SFX: the dryer buzzes
LOUThat's us.
BEAYour shirt's in with my pillowcases.
LOUSorry. Is that against the system?
BEAI'll allow it. Just this once.
LOUNext Tuesday? Same dryer?
BEADryer six will be fixed by next Tuesday.
LOUI could kick it again. Low, on the left. Make sure.
BEA...Kick it hard.
What it is for: A year of Tuesday nights at a laundromat and two women who have never really talked. Trains a long, low-key scene where the intimacy builds in small steps. Coach's note: Watch out for pushing the big speeches. Bea's 'my house is very quiet' and Lou's 'second Tuesday in September' are both said plainly, while folding laundry. The final turn is 'That was the week my divorce was final': Lou didn't know, so let her hear it fresh, and let Bea's 'Kick it hard' be both a joke and a yes. What casting listens for: Casting listens for two grown-up voices with lived-in humour, and for an actor who can make an ordinary line carry a year of noticing.
Reading alone only gets you so far
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