Out of Order

a farce by by Ray Cooney

Production dates: 24th to 26th September 2026
Rotherfield Village Hall

Help Night: Monday 22nd June

Auditions: Friday 26th and Monday 29th June

.Director - Derek Holland

Richard Wiley, a Government Junior Minister, plans to spend the evening with Jane Worthington, one of the Op position’s typists. Things go disastrously wrong, beginning with the discovery of a “body” trapped in the hotel’s only unreliable sash window. Desperately trying to get out of a sticky situation, Richard calls for his PPS, George Pigden who, through Richard’s lies, sinks further and further into trouble with everybody and ends up going through an identity crisis. Things go from bad to worse with the arrival of Ronnie, Jane’s distraught husband and with the addition of an unscrupulous waiter, Mrs Wiley and Nurse Foster, things really come to a head. This is a well written and hilarious farce. It is hard to make me laugh out loud but this play still reduces me to helpless tears of laughter and I can’t wait to direct it

CAST:

Richard Wiley -A suave and successful man. Junior Minister. a Large part. Age 35 - 50

The Manager. A severe man. Fairly small part. Age 45 - 70

The Waiter -A nimble and wiley old servant. Medium part Age 55 - 80

The Maid - A plump Italian woman. Small part. Age middle aged

Jane Worthington- an attractive but dizzy young lady.

A body - A nondescript middle-aged man. Hilarious medium part. Few words near the end but on stage a lot.

Medium to large part. Age 25 - 35 George Pigden - An upright pleasant man of nervous disposition.

Large part. Age 25 - 45  Ronnie - An angry young man. Medium part. Age 25 - 45

Pamela - An attractive sophisticated woman in her forties. Small part

Gladys (Nurse Foster) A bossy but attractive woman in her forties. Small but hilarious part NOTE It is possible to double up some characters like Gladys and the Maid

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