Bouncers — Audition Notes

Bouncers by John Godber first performed as a two-hander at The Edinburgh Fringe in 1977, was expanded to four actors in 1983. It was written as a piece of work to fully engage the audience with the actors, so is intended to be performed with a minimal set and few props. Bouncers is a social commentary on club culture in the 80's, "working class Britons at play" and is one of the top 100 plays of the 20th century (National Theatre). The actors must switch quickly and easily between characters, describing social observations of the day, whilst acting out various scenarios and dancing to a vibrant soundtrack.

The quartet play other characters, but they are fundamentally nightclub bouncers. They convey a sense of threat and a 'don't mess with me' attitude with a potential for violence. "The darker elements of the play should act as a constant undercurrent" But this play is a comedy, using spoken and physical humour to make some hard-hitting observations, still very relevant today. In between the nostalgic references and sharp dialogue there are many moments of hilarity. Bouncers contains bad language, and has numerous references to sex in line with the misogynistic attitude of the era.

CAST (The age range is a guide!)

Lucky Eric – in his 40's
The eldest of the four, he has seen all human life and is a troubled soul. Had enough of this environment and is close to the edge. Bit of rivalry with Judd. Eric is a fiery and moody character. Potentially violent – yet also sensitive and at times vulnerable. Recently separated from his wife. Has four spotlight monologues reflecting on the nightclub scene and how women are treated.

Les – mid 20's
Is the youngest of the group, impressionable and always up for a fight. Reasonably happy-go-lucky but can switch to a more menacing mood in a moment.

Ralph – 20's to 30's
Is young, but a bit less volatile/aggressive than the others and the voice of reason. Does judo and is described by Eric as 'Mr Inner Calm'

Judd – 20's to mid-30's
Is all brawn and very little brain. Left school with one GCSE in metalwork, and has been involved in petty theft. Happy to get stuck in and use his fists, always trying to pick a fight with Eric.

Booking tickets

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APS Cancellation Policy

If you need to move your seat or seats from one performance to another of the same production, we can do this very easily for you at no additional cost to you. There is no need to cancel and rebook. Just contact the APS Box Office. Note that the change can only be to seats in the same area as the seats in the original order.

If you are unable to attend an event for which you have purchased tickets, we would be grateful if you would let us know as soon as possible, so that we can cancel your order and release the seats. However, please note that we do not, under any circumstances, offer refunds if a ticket order is cancelled after it has been processed.

When your ticket order has been cancelled, if the seats are resold and the performance is sold out, we will offer you a discount code that can be used to purchase tickets for another production. The value of the discount code will be the value of the tickets you cancelled, less a £2.00 admin fee per ticket. The discount code will be time limited and usually valid only for a maximum of six months.

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If a production is cancelled by APS, you will receive a full refund for the amount you paid.

If you wish to cancel tickets or move your seats to a different performance, please contact the APS box Office
07353 074944 (9.00 am - 7.00 pm, please); email admin@aps-sherborne.co.uk