CHESTER'S Little Theatre will stage Chekov's classic play Uncle Vanya at their Newtown venue in November.

With rehearsals starting on Monday, September 24, the theature is holding open auditions for all roles.

The theatre is staging a reading of extracts from the play on Tuesday (June 26) at 8pm and open auditions for all roles on Thursday (June 28) at 7.30pm.

Anyone interested in attending the auditions or to learn more about the play and the roles on offer can contact the play's Director Jane Barth on 01928 724808 for an informal chat.

Speaking about the play, Jane said: "Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov is a tragicomedy first performed in 1897, just twenty years before the Russian Revolution. But the play has no aristocrats, no serfs. It is about a family and some of their friends reaching a critical moment in their lives. The irony is that after the moment has passed, not much has changed on the surface: they pick up their lives again but things are not quite the same. They have learned more about their inner selves and know where their futures will take them. In true Chekhovian manner, there is not a lot of comfort to be gained from the knowledge.

"The play is set in a country estate – nothing huge or grand, it just rubs along. It’s run by Vanya and his niece, Sonya. The estate once belonged to Vanya’s sister who died young, leaving it to her husband, the father of Sonya. He is now elderly and cantankerous, an arts Professor in the city with expensive tastes who has come to expect a generous income from the estate, which he regards as his. The Professor has recently married again, to Yelena, a much younger, attractive woman. The play covers a visit to the estate of the Professor and Yelena and its outcome which, in the end, brings no change."

There are roles available for actors aged in their 30s through to their 70s.

Further details about Uncle Vanya and all upcoming plays at events at Chester Little Theatre can be found at www.chestertheatreclub.co.uk