Windsor Theatre Guild
Nell Gwynn
Auditions for the Windsor Theatre Guild production of 'Nell Gwynn' by Jessica Swale will be held on Tuesday 24th March at Baldwins Institute, Eton Ct, Eton, Windsor SL4 6BY and Thursday 26th March 2026 at The Watermans Arms, Brocas St, Eton, Windsor SL4 6BW from 20:00 to 22:00.
Actors are required to attend only one audition, plus callbacks as required on Sunday 29th March 14:00 to 17:00.
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Actors auditioning for the role of Nell must additionally perform a short song or singing piece of their own choice, either unaccompanied or with their own backing music.
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Audition pieces are available to download from the links below. Actors should come to the audition with prepared pieces of their preferred part(s)
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Performance dates:
Thursday 9th to Saturday 18th July 2026 evenings, plus matinee performance on Saturday 11th July 2026.
Venue: Stag Meadow, St Leonard's Road, Windsor SL4 3DU
Technical and dress rehearsals:
Monday 6th to Wednesday 8th July 2026.
Rehearsals will be on Tuesday & Thursday evenings from 19:45 to 22:00 and Sunday afternoons 14:00 to 17:00 at probably either Windsor & Eton Football Club or The Baldwin's Institute. With approval from the Director, actors may not be required to attend all rehearsals.
Important information:
If offered a part actors are required to become members of the Windsor Theatre Guild (if not already members) and to sign our actors code of conduct.
Actors, if they accept a part, will also make a £20 financial contribution for the cost of their script (to be retained by the actor) and other sundry expenses.
WhatsApp is our preferred communication method within the cast and crew so your mobile number will be known to all cast and crew.
Director’s Concept
"Don’t let my poor Nelly starve" just may have been King Charles II's last words, we can't be sure.
But we can be sure of some things: Nell Gwynn was certainly the King's mistress, the mother of one of his children and a woman who rose from poverty to a position of power and influence at court.
Jessica Swale's play Nell Gwynn won an Olivier for Best New Comedy in 2016 and began life at another outdoor theatrical space: Shakespeare’s Globe. It follows Nell’s journey from orange hawker to leading actress to King’s mistress through playhouse to palace garden and back again.
It’s for the most part a jolly, jaunty piece with plenty of good jokes, music and song, but it has its sombre moments too. Perhaps above all it shows how talent, native wit and a cheeky sense of (defiantly feminist) humour can take you – just about – wherever you want to go.
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There are 14 named parts: seven male, seven female.
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The production would benefit hugely from an ensemble to give both the playhouse and palace scenes real impact.
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I’m hoping to bring together a versatile cast which can do justice to this play, which is hugely popular for two very good reasons: it tells a touching story with heart and humour."
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Peter Broad
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Peter Broad taught English and Drama at Eton College for nearly 30 years, directing over 50 productions during that time. He has acted and directed on the Edinburgh Fringe, for the Pendley Shakespeare Festival and Hamlet at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall last summer.
Now retired and living near the Great Park he is delighted to become involved with the Windsor Theatre Guild, whose recent production of Quiz he much admired.
Nell
Tart with a heart. Age range 20-40. A good singer and mover. A huge role which requires excellent comic timing and strong emotional range.
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Nell and Charles Hart Audition Piece 3
Nell and Charles Hart Audition Piece 4
Nell and Charles Hart Audition Piece 5​​
Nell and King Charles Audition Piece 6
Nell and King Charles Audition Piece 7
Nell and King Charles Audition Piece 8
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Rose
Nell’s sister. A smaller but vital role. Age range 20-50, could be younger or older than Nell.
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Rose Audition Piece 2 - p86​
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Nancy
Nell’s dresser and confidante. Any age. She’s a vital member of the company, but a ‘hopeless’ actor – which means, as we all know, she needs to be played by a very good actor, with comic skills.
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​​​Lady Castlemaine
The King’s English mistress. Forthright. Confident. Striking. Strong vocal and stage presence. Any age.
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Lady Castlemaine Audition Piece 1
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​​Louise de Keroualle
The King’s French Mistress. Able to speak French convincingly on stage. Haughty, able to wear a gorgeous costume with flair and panache. Striking.
Queen Catherine
Charles’s Portugese wife. Able to speak Portugese convincingly on stage (although I think we might get away with an accent with an Hispanic flavour). Almost any age.
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Queen Catherine Audition Piece 1
Queen Catherine Audition Piece 2
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Old Ma Gwynn
Nell’s mother, a brothel Madam. Smaller role with one very strong scene. Will need to be cast in relation to her on stage daughters.
40 +.
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King Charles II
The King. Leading role. Presence. Comic timing. Genuine emotional range. He should not be a caricature but both a man and a monarch. 30-60.
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King Charles and Nell Audition Piece 3
King Charles and Nell Audition Piece 4
King Charles and Nell Audition Piece 5
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Charles Hart
Leading Actor. The first man to discover Nell’s theatrical talent and the first Charles to fall in love with her. Strong stage presence, strong vocal range and ability to be both commanding and vulnerable. Needs to be able to sing a little. 30-60.
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Charles Hart and Nell Audition Piece 2
Charles Hart and Nell Audition Piece 3
Charles Hart and Nell Audition Piece 4
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Thomas Killigrew
Actor Manager of the King’s Company. In command but always with problems to solve. Practical. 40-60.
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Edward Kynaston
An actor who has – until now – played the female roles. Camp perhaps? Precious perhaps? Subject to company ridicule certainly! But a skilful performer - needs to be convincing twice over. A real flesh and blood individual. Not just a comic turn. 20-50.
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John Dryden
Playwright. In all of the company scenes. His writer’s block partially cured by Nell’s contributions. Older.
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Lord Arlington
An adviser to the King. A politician with no time for the theatre. Small but vital role. Gravitas a bonus. 30+.
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Lord Arlington Audition Piece 1
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Ned Spiggett
Actor in training. Younger than others in the company . A rewarding role for … a younger actor!
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Ensemble
The production also needs servants, attendants, courtiers, company members and hecklers: as well as singers and musicians.