THE door is still open for all the roles in The Real People Theatre Company’s production of Anne Lister’s Ladies in York.

Auditions began last weekend and further auditions will be held on Saturday at 11am in the upstairs room at the Brigantes Brasserie on Micklegate.

“We’re looking for four women interested in doing a staged reading of extracts from Emma Donoghue’s play I Know My Own Heart, loosely based on the diaries of Anne Lister, 1791-1840,” says Sue Lister, director of the all-female York company.

The roles are the “gentlemanly” heiress-in-waiting Anne Lister, a romantic at heart; Tib (Isabella Norcliffe), a woman of independent means; Marianne Brown, a pretty farmer’s daughter; and Nancy Brown, Marianne’s younger sister.

Anne and Tib are in their 30s, the two sisters are in their 20s.

“Anne Lister of Shibden Hall, near Halifax, is a Yorkshire celebrity of the early years of the 19th century, and The Real People Theatre Company is delighted that we’ll be joined for York International Women’s Week in March by Helena Whitbread, who has spent eight years deciphering and decoding Anne Lister’s diaries,” says Sue.

“Helena will be speaking about her work and why she undertook such a lengthy and challenging project.”

Anne Lister’s Ladies will be presented in Theatre Studio 3, Quad South, York St John University, on March 10 and 11 at 7.30pm. The company has also been invited to take the show to the Anne Lister weekend at Shibden Hall in June.

“Having Helena Whitbread and Jan Bridget involved is superb and the invitation to the Anne Lister weekend is really exciting. The stage is set, the scripts are ready, the performances are booked; now all we need are the actors,” says Sue.

“Playing these roles is an opportunity that may not come your way again, and you don’t even have to learn lines as it’s a staged reading. If you’re free for a couple of hours on Saturdays, 11am to 1pm, between now and the March shows, do come along this Saturday and read for a part, even if it’s just out of interest. You’ll learn more about Anne Lister and her times and whet your interest in the show.”

• Anyone who is interested should phone Sue on 01904 488870.