28/04/2026
AUDITIONS! AUDITIONS! AUDITIONS!
Auditions for 'Inspector Drake and the Black Widow' will be held at 19.30 (7.30pm) on Wednesday 6 May 2026 in the old committee room at the rear of Buderim War Memorial Hall, Church Street, Buderim.
David Tristram is a very successful English playwright who specialises in creating hysterically funny plays mostly for community theatre. They have small casts, one set, and generally make fun of “Am-Dram’ itself.
The plot, set in the 1930s, is slim, just enough to hang the gags on. Sergeant Plod sends for the infamous Inspector Drake to help solve the murder of John Johnson (unseen)…who has been stabbed in the back whilst wearing a dress. The two are thwarted by a series of women who look suspiciously alike and soon Drake finds himself targeted as the next victim. Add to this an escaped Black Widow Spider and the rest unfolds.
Triplets born two months apart, missing semi-tropical spiders and a lustful widow are just a few of the obstacles facing Inspector Drake.
‘Inspector Drake and the Black Widow’ is a classic British farce full of twists, jokes and female characters who all look the same and it’s bound to entertain the audience.
This cross between ‘Inspector Clouseau’ and ‘And Then There Were None’ will have you laughing out loud and forgetting about the outside world. A dead body found whilst dusting at 3am sets up a play which is an amusing parody of the whodunnit genre, a blend of ‘Cluedo’ and ‘Mousetrap’ that’s packed with lots of visual gags, adult innuendo all topped with a touch of cross-dressing.
Sergeant Plod is so keen to help but his competence never quite matches that enthusiasm - Inspector Drake not only has to solve at least 10 murders but also his colleagues’ attempts to lend a hand.
There are three actors:
Sergeant Plod - with very, very many lines and physical activity.
Inspector Drake - with even more lines and similar physical dexterity.
A female actor who plays eight rôles - The Maid, Lady Devonshire, Doctor Foster, Amy Mallard, Miss Marple, Lo**ta (a triplet) and the Zoo Lady. A huge part with the obvious changes of costumes, wigs and, of course, voice.
Auditions will be open and consist of lines from the play.
The season runs from 25 September to 04 October 2026.
Rehearsals will be on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from 28 July 2026.
Books down by 01 September 2026.
Any questions or requests for scripts to the director, Julian White, at [email protected]
