Bull by Mike Bartlett

Auditions will be by appointment ONLY – please do not turn up to the theatre without an appointment.

Directed by Maisie Brooker

This is a NT award winning, razor-sharp play about the fine line between office politics and playground bullying, Bull offers ringside seats as three employees fight to keep their jobs.

The play is all set in real time following Tony, Isobel and Thomas as they wait in a meeting room to hear from their boss (Carter) who out of the three will be made redundant. Tony and Isobel use this time to play mind games with Thomas, baiting him with every line until Thomas hits breaking point, just in time for Carter to arrive.

Maisie says she loves this play because it’s funny yet so uncomfortable, you watch it constantly hoping for the best but your hopes are shot down at every corner. Also love how it builds beautifully from using tiny bits of malice and small comments about appearance “Is that the suit you’ve chosen? Mmm” to a full blown attack on Thomas and his life. Finally, let’s get deep for a sec, as someone who has personally been bullied by an adult as an adult I feel it’s important to shine a light on situations like this and understand that playground politics carry on way into adulthood.

Running time: about 1 hour

Characters and acting ages:

• Isobel (F/20s-30s) Powerhouse, stinging, bully.
• Tony (M/20s-30s) Smug, athletic, bully.
• Thomas (M/Late 20s-40s) Desperate, sympathetic, ambitious.
• Carter (M/F/40s-60s)- The Boss, straight talking, assertive.

About auditioning and rehearsing in our Covid-secure theatre:

Auditions will be by appointment ONLY– so you will need to email Maisie to say that you are interested in this play and Maisie will confirm the time for you to arrive at the theatre. All those entering the theatre must comply with our Covid-secure requirements and a copy of these will be emailed to you before you attend the auditions.

Likewise, when rehearsing the cast and others involved must comply with our Covid-secure requirements. These will be made clear to everyone before rehearsals begin.

If you are interested in auditioning:

Please email: maisiebrooker@googlemail.com or phone Maisie on 07887 930726 for more information. Maisie is also on Facebook if you want to contact her there.

Extracts of the passages that will be used in auditions:

These will be available on request to those who are interested in auditioning. In the NHB published script the extracts are pages 5 to 10 for Thomas, Isobel and Toby and the for Carter pages 33 to 35.

Audition Dates

Rehearsals