A shocking accusation—under an even more shocking headline—appears in a London newspaper in 1918. Are thousands of highly-placed British homosexuals really being blackmailed by the German government? When actress and dancer Maud Allan is publicly accused of treason, lesbianism, and treasonous lesbianism, she feels she has no choice but to sue for libel. But the ensuing trial fascinates the public, and soon the case becomes more bizarre and more scandalous than Allan or her accusers could have anticipated.
Closely based on real events, and with a script constructed in part from the original transcripts of the trial, The Cult of the Clitoris explores questions about queerness, nationalism, disinformation, and just what exactly can cause an orgasm. Having received workshops at Playwrights Theatre Centre in Vancouver and Workshop West in Edmonton, it will premiere at the 2025 Edmonton Fringe Festival.
Please submit to empressofblandingsproductions@gmail.com a self-tape audition (one to two monologues, comic or serious, 3 minutes max) headshot, and acting resume with the subject line AUDITION: FIRSTNAME LASTNAME by April 15, 2025. Feel free to include any roles in which you’re interested or any other information you’d like us to know (especially your availability during the rehearsal period) in the body of the email.
We will contact all applicants to indicate whether we would like to see you for a callback by April 20, 2025.
For those artists who have barriers to access to any part of the process as laid out, please reach out to us and we will happily work with you to allow you to show us your artistry in whatever format is easiest and accessible to you.
REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES
Rehearsals will begin in May. The first month of rehearsals will be focussed on line work and will take place over Zoom. We will transition to in-person rehearsals to put the play on its feet in June. The show will run for six performances between August 14 and 24, 2025, as part of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. At this time specific show times and dates have yet to be confirmed.
ROLES
We are presently casting for the following roles:
Maud Allan. She/her. 30s-40s. A Canadian performer known for her provocative and occasionally scandalous dancing and costumes. Queer and necessarily closeted.
Noel Pemberton Billing. He/him. 20s-30s. A right-wing politician and inventor, passionately devoted to the twin causes of advancing the British war effort and stamping out sexual perversion.
Harold Spencer. He/him. 20s-30s. A journalist and conspiracy theorist, recently invalided out of the army for “delusional insanity”. Billing’s ally and the writer of the offending article.
Eileen Villiers-Stuart. She/her. 20s-30s. A beautiful secret agent and adventuress with a talent for achieving her political goals via seduction. Billing’s lover.
Charles Darling. He/him. 60s-70s. The judge presiding over the case. Known for his sharp wit and sartorial excellence. Doing his best to keep the increasingly outrageous trial on track.
The pronouns and ages listed are descriptions of the characters. Actors are welcome to express interest in being seen for any role, regardless of gender or age.
While all characters except Maud Allan are English, this production will not require English accents. (But if you have a real English accent, we won’t hold it against you.)
Empress of Blandings is committed to the promotion of diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from all members of our community.
This is a non-equity production. Empress of Blandings Productions operates on a profit-share model.
If you have any questions, or you would like to review a copy of the script, please email us at empressofblandingsproductions@gmail.com.
