The show
‘That’s the trouble about the good guys and the bad guys! They’re all guys!’
It’s time for the Irene Dramatic Society’s first play of 2026 and it’s going to be a doozy, or even a doozie. At the helm will be Adrian van der Merwe, strutting it with another Terry Pratchett.
You wouldn’t think a Terry Pratchett play set on the Discworld would be topical, but here we are. The play will be Monstrous Regiment. Being a Terry Pratchett creation, you know it’s a satirical fantasy comedy tiptoeing on undertones of deeper meaning in our real world, or some such thing. Or — it’s a comedy, and is very funny.
‘[The pamphlet] was very patriotic. That is, it talked about killing foreigners.’
In the small, yet wildly aggressive country of Borogravia, there are strict rules citizens must follow. For a start, women belong in the kitchen — not in jobs, pubs, or indeed, trousers. And certainly not anywhere near the front line.
Polly Perks has to become a boy in a hurry if she wants to find her missing brother in the army. Cutting off her hair and wearing the trousers is easy. Going to war, however, is not.
Polly and her fellow raw recruits are suddenly in the thick of a losing battle. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army, any army, and a vampire with a lust for coffee. Oh, also a troll and an Igor.
It’s time to make a stand.
‘Do you think it’s possible for an entire nation to be insane?’
Auditions are to be held, and we’re going to need a small army of people to bring this story to life. We’re not even a little bit sorry about that pun.
‘There have been better attempts at marching, and they have been made by penguins.’
Auditions
Date
Sunday, 25 January 2026
Time
2:00 PM
Venue
OppiStoep Conference Function Venue
190 Basden Avenue
Lyttelton, Centurion
https://maps.app.goo.gl/t8o2grb5kWx4u9DW6
Email: monstrous@irene-dramatic-society.co.za
Email: irene.dramatic.society@gmail.com
WhatsApp only: 082-371-5488
‘Now, listen very carefully: where’s your coffee? You’ve got coffee, haven’t you? C’mon, everyone’s got coffee! Spill the beans!’
Some notable characters for auditions
| Character | A description | Preferred casting * |
| Polly | A young lady disguised as a young man | A young lady/man |
| Sergeant Jackrum | The corpulent sergeant of our new squad | A large older human |
| Igor | The classic Igor as we know from stories such as Frankenstein | A young lady/man |
| Maladict | A vampire | Another human, any age |
| Carborundum | A troll | What do you think? Surprise us. |
| Tonker, Lofty, Wazzer, Shufti | Young human members of the squad, that may or may not be young men… | Younger humans |
| Lt Blouse | The officer who has finally been given command after many years at headquarters | A man. Definitely a man. Probably. |
| Cdr Vimes | The Diplomat sent from Ankh-Morpork to try sort out the mess of this endless war. | Very male, and older. This one is definitely a man. |
| Others | There are many, many others parts | Males, females all ages |
* Preferred casting could change on a whim, so don’t set too much stock in it, and don’t fret too much about the gender of parts. That’s the director’s problem, not yours.
