If you do audition and there is a reference video in the character description, please watch a small part of it to see what I am looking for.
I am searching for lots of actors to take part in an original yet ambitious project that may require long term commitment depending on the role you choose. You can still take other jobs but if you want to drop out of the project,, give me fair warning. I can then kill your character off. Some limitations apply. Jamie must stay as well as some others that already have their deaths/plotlines determined.
It was originally going to be an RPG storyline but after 367 pages I think it makes a good ongoing radio play, the project is called 'The Purgatorians'. I am committed to the project long term and need your help. Don't think along the lines of 'I cannot commit to such a long term project' but rather think to yourself 'it will look good on my resume and will show I can commit to a project'.
A Q&A has been added to the bottom of here. Any questions you would like adding, please let me know.
Here is what the original cast thought of working on the show in the 2015 cast interviews. They talk of the story, the project as a whole, their characters and more. Runtime is 34 minutes but it will give you a good overview of the project itself.
https://youtu.be/E0Bslo1Slb0
Unfortunately something terrible happened in my life that caused me to lose all my belongings and become homeless for a while. I had no way to contact the cast and unfortunately the project was forced to be cancelled.
The setting is Serenetia, (Ser-ren-ee-she-a) a strange land in which no-one travels to, they just appear. No-one knows how or why they are there, they just are. They give up looking for home when all seems hopeless and exist there. With a corrupt government, a sadistic council of five and the Purgatorians to deal with, not one month can pass by quietly., this is without the deadly sandstorms that wipe out all but two people, and the Purgatorians, in Serenity every fifteen years. Ten years after the last sandstorm the hero of prophecy arrives, it tells of the demise of the council and its members and the downfall of 'The Liberator', the leader of the Purgatorians but it speaks not of the Asylum itself.
With twists galore and some scenes people may find upsetting or offensive, please read characters short synopsis for these before deciding to audition.
This is not a fantasy show, it is centered around real life but in a not so real place. It contains some hard hitting storylines, dramatic and sad. I am hoping the show can run for a while, 5 seasons of 27 episodes each, 5 Christmas specials. If the show does make profits, 10% will be split among the main cast, 5% over the secondary characters as royalties. Back in 2015 this was only £5 per episode.
Taking a part does allow me to use the lines in other things such as promoting the show without expiry. At the moment this is only going to be placed on YouTube. The possibility of Twitter/X and Facebook will come at a later date, before the shows go live.
The story is far from finished, season 1 episode 15, but I am passionate about it and will continue for as long as possible.
At the moment, I would like to see how the voice lines fit before taking it any further, however I am currently scripting some death episodes. These are a bit separated from the main ongoing plot. I will continue scripting the main show once I have received all the currently available lines.
The show will always need more characters in future as some die or go missing and the current cast start to run low so always open for auditions after the end date, just let me know you're interested and I shall put you on my list of future applicants.
Think of this as Game of Thrones meets Wayward Pines. Thank you to all who take an interest in this project. No one is safe, no matter gender or age.
About Me - I have created scripts in the past, one was used during as part of our end of first year performance at college and the other was for NCFE Video which was a full length movie called 'night of the living chavs', unfortunately it was erased from the computer before I had a chance to burn it onto DVD. I wrote, directed and acted in this movie. I gained my video editing diploma and National Diploma in Performing Arts in 2010 and between 2007-2010 I acted in many shows and volunteered at my local theatre.
I allow the members of my team to make suggestions on how they think their character should move forward, some, but not everything, are set in stone such as critical plot points however if you suggest anything I shall take it into consideration. The Writers ideas are not always the best and a fresh outlook on things can lead to better plots. To see what it is like to work with me, please see the old cast interviews on the channel linked here. They are asked about their input, as well as their opinions on the show. I will be asking you to do this too, it does go towards your hourly payment but is purely optional.
https://www.youtube.com/@ThePurgatorians
PROFANITY WARNING - This is not rated PG and does have fight scenes and arguments which lead to strong language. I am not planning any sex scenes at all, any that occur will not be scripted and left to the audiences imagination, only the lead up will occur and end with the door closing. If Game of Thrones causes any offence then it is possible this will too.
Upsetting scenes - If you are not comfortable performing certain scenes please read here what may upset you that have been written so far. I advise you to watch Samantha Brookes thoughts on her character before applying for Faith Parker.
https://youtu.be/WZEv-c3n_G0
Masons physical and emotional abuse
Faith plotting to end both her and her sons life
The talk of one person being accused of being a spy who was hanged and set alight
Two instances of animal slaughter
Homophobic behavior
Toby's horrific prison ordeal
This is just the current list. It will be expanded.
Below is a list of the cast, main, secondary and supporting.
This is similar to Game of Thrones, you could receive one script and it seems to you that you have an entire story line to run that will take months, the next script you could be dead so beware
Some of the main cast will be around for a long while so please make sure you can commit before auditioning. You can take on other work, not just limited to mine but I don't want to have to have one person have five different voices before he/she dies and then up and leave.
Secondary cast may be around for a while but could die at any time if the script calls for it. Please make sure you can commit but do not be offended if your character dies, this is not a slur on your acting ability.
Supporting cast are not in it that much so if you want to take part but only want a small role this is the place for you to look. This will obviously impact the hours quota but good for those who want to get a role on their resume. These are the easiest to write out of the show.
Please note that these are just some of the cast I will be looking for. If you take a major or secondary role and want to drop out, I do need notice. I will be asking at the end of every season if you would like to return. If you say no, please give me up to 5 episodes of the next season to script your death. Jamie does not apply to this, nor do anyone who have (season x) in their character profile. These characters need commitment please. These already have the characters leaving the show arranged.
The character audition pieces are now live. There will be three lines of various emotions for most roles that I will ask you to try. Faith Parker needs to be able to do insanity and emotional unbalances.
The cast list is subject to change and people can be promoted or demoted without notice
MAIN CAST (From the beginning or joins later)
Jamie Atkinson - Most Lines, in the show for a long time. (Final episode)
Abraham Montgomary - Most monologues, in the show for a while (Season 2 Christmas Special)
Betsy Turner - In for a long time (at least season 4)
Demetrius Montgomary - (Season 2 end)
Elena StoneHeart - Not much to begin with but picks up when the council disbands. (Season 3 at least)
Frederick Chambers - Not much to begin with but picks up when the council disbands. (Season 3 at least)
Glenn Taylor - ( Season 2 at least)
Isaac Newbury - not much to begin with but like the other council members he picks up when the council disbands (Season 3 at least)
Jonnie Jardine - in for a long time (Season 4 at least)
Kimberly Hamilton - (Season 3 Christmas Special)
Max Jarvis - (Season 2 at least)
Raven Gosse - In for a very long time (Final Episode)
Tobias Hasple - In for quite a long time (Season 3)
William Evermore - In for quite a long while, slow to start with not many lines, picks up when the council disbands. (Season 4)
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Darwin Hamilton - In for a while at least
Eliza Hamilton - In for a while at least
Faith Parker - In for maybe the first half of the first season but will be back later (Season 2 and 3) periodically so keep this in mind.
Ivar Myles - In for quite a while at least, has a big story line to come first. ( Season 3)
Keith Wakefield - In for the entire first season, dies at the end of it. He does not return.
Mason Parker - (Season 3 mid season finale)
Peter Myles -(Season 3)
Tamara Wakefield - Lives through the first season, dies in the second
Toby Harper - (Season 4, possibly season 5)
SUPPORTING CAST
Alice Potts
Barry Turnbull
Chris Lordset
Harry Holster
Kyle Summers
Miles Lampton
Mother - In it very rarely. Good for resume perhaps
Narrator
Oliver Hasburg
Oscar Wiley
Reverend
Victor Stamford
Yusaf Awad
Extras - Ad Libbing may be required and possibly skype or other software to work alongside the other extras to make a very short conversation more believable.
This is not the entire list. More will come as the seasons progress.
I will say again that I do request that main cast give me notice before quitting and the supporting cast at least half a season so I have time to wrap up any story lines and write you out of the show or to find someone to take over the role
Payment will be made at the end of the month if you have submitted your lines and I have checked through them. I would rather do it by PayPal than a bank transfer however I am open to discussion about this. If you want more payment than what is offered please do not embarrass me by having to refuse you as i simply cannot afford any more considering the amount of characters I have. I do not have a lot of money.
You will of course also be credited for your participation on the credits at the end of the show, I would prefer to use your real names to make it look more professional however you can request I put a nickname in brackets between you forename and surname. You may use this for your resume or on a showreel.
Q&A
Why such a long audition period?
When I started a project in 2015, people complained I was not giving them enough time to prepare and they missed out. I made this audition period 3 months so people do not feel rushed to submit their auditions.
Will you start casting early?
At the moment, the schedule is on July 1st I start shortlisting. August 2nd I start casting. If auditions completely dry up though, casting shall start early. I will announce it in an update if this happens
Are optional extras mandatory?
No, you have a choice whether or not you want to take part in these. They are paid though.
Are the anthology episodes optional?
No. These tie directly into the show and are important to giving backstories to the characters. Although mandatory, they pay double a scripts pay for the characters from the show. Up to an hour episode, double pay. Up to 90 minutes, triple pay.
How will recording lines work?
Since I have increased the price, I now have to change the deadlines to 6 weeks, instead of every month. There will be two teams. Team A will submit their lines in the first month, team B in the second. This allows me to get payments to you without delay. There will be a one week gap between team A and team B, and vice versa, so I can go through the lines submitted and send payments out.
What format should the audio files be?
WAV
Should I edit my own files in audacity or any other program?
If you have long silences that are not needed, or want to separate your outtakes for the optional extras, yes. If you want to add effects to the file, no.
What will happen if you need to do a major rewrite of the scripts?
If it is my mistake, due to inconsistency or any other reason, you will be paid again for resubmitting those lines. You should not be punished for my mistakes.
Will you kick me out if you change your mind about casting me?
This is what auditions are for. Once the cast are decided, this is set in stone. I will not be kicking you out of the show. The only way you will leave is if your character dies or leaves the show or you drop out of your role.
How are payments made?
Preferably through PayPal to avoid you losing money due to currency exchange costs. I am open to discussions if you do not like this though. Payments are made at the end of the teams month if I have received those lines. Payments are made per script, so please do not send me an entire seasons voice lines at once.
Will there be a discord?
Yes, there is a discord with both public and cast channels. I do ask the cast do only speak of the show if containing spoilers in the cast channels. They may speak in the public channels if no spoilers are given. Here is the link. https://discord.gg/3R5FZKWW
Is Discord Mandatory?
No, Discord is not mandatory, purely optional. Using it however may limit having to do retakes. You can use the cast voice channels to read lines with other cast members so they sound more natural. There is also a director channel, so if the cast are unsure of how to perform a scene, I can direct them. Please be aware a set time will need to be agreed upon for this.
How long will the project take overall?
Now this is going to sound very daunting to you but I am trying to lessen this enormously. Please read to the end At the moment, all seasons will take roughly 13 years. I am however going to try to get all the scripts finished within 2 years. Then you can spend the next year recording your lines and send them to me when needed. This knocks the timeframe down to 3 years. I will still be asking for optional extras but you can choose whether or not to do these. The answer is 4 years maximum, including optional extras.
If you have any other questions you would like answered here, please let me know and I shall add them.