TWO open auditions will herald a new era for a long-running theatre company.

Ladies in Retirement by Reginald Denham and Edward Percy will be the first production of Malvern Theatre Players 38th season as the resident company of Malvern Theatres and the auditions will take place on Tuesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 19 at 7.30pm.

The auditions will be staged in the recently extended and refurbished Coach House Theatre, Grange Road, and the play itself will follow in the same venue from Monday to Saturday, October 13-18.

Set in the late 19th century and the Victorian thriller is based on a real murder and requires a cast of six women and one man across a wide range of ages.

Retired actress Leonora Fiske lives with her housekeeper and companion Ellen who is also responsible for the care of her two eccentric sisters when they come to stay.

The sisters make themselves at home but subsequently outstay their welcome and Leonora’s patience wears thin.

She has a bitter row with Ellen, demanding that they should leave but it is Leonora who disappears.

Ellen’s nephew Albert, himself a wanted criminal, enlists the help of the young housemaid Lucy, and gradually pieces together the events and solves the mystery.

For more information, call the Malvern Theatre Players office on 01684 569011.