Open auditions have been announced for the forthcoming adaptation of Kennethe Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows by musical theatre duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Auditions will be held at The Lowry in Salford on April 22, and at Rambert in London on April 23. The producers, Jamie Hendry Productions, say they are looking for “strong character actors, with excellent singing and dancing skills, for principal roles and male and female ensembles”. No other character breakdowns have been released, although given the nature of the source material it should be possible to guess what sort of characters the roles of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger should be, at least…

2016 is shaping up to be a busy year for Stiles and Drewe. Along with The Wind in the Willows – their first collaboration with Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, School of Rock) since Mary Poppins – Chichester Festival Theatre will be producing two new musicals, Half a Sixpence and Travels With My Aunt, this year.

Developed and produced by Jamie Hendry Productions and presented in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Wind in the Willows is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with design by Peter McKintosh,choreography by Aletta Collins, lighting design by Howard Harrison and sound design by Gareth Owen. Casting is by Pippa Ailion Casting.

For more details on the casting, visit windinthewillowsthemusical.com/auditions.