Auditions: Dracula – A Comedy of Terrors

DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS

In the treacherous mountains of Transylvania, a meek English real estate agent takes a harrowing journey to meet a new and mysterious client, who just happens to be the most terrifying and ferocious monster the world has ever known. As famed vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and company chase Drac from Transylvania to the British countryside to London and back, their antics are guaranteed to increase your pulse and cause bloodcurdling screams—of laughter.

Rehearsals/Important Dates – 

Rehearsals Start – August 19th, and will be on Mon/Tues/Thurs from 6:30p-10p
First Saturday – September 27th from 10a-6p
Q2Q Saturday – October 4th from 9a-5p
Tech Week – October 6-9 from 6p-10p

Pay Rate –

We are able to pay actors a stipend of $150 for this production, with a $25 bump in pay for understudies/swings when going on for a performance.

PREPARATION

Woodstock Arts is deeply committed to building an inviting and inclusive arts community that celebrates the individual and diversity and treats everyone with fairness and respect. We invite artists of all genders, races, ages, sizes, and sexual orientations, as well as artists with disabilities to participate. We want to represent diverse communities in our organization and welcome you here.

Woodstock Arts is taking measures to ensure your safety and well-being. We want to make this experience as comfortable, safe, and fun as possible for everyone involved.

Auditions will be in-person on Tuesday, August 5th  from 6 p.m to 10 p.m.

Video audition submissions will be accepted until Tuesday, August 5th at 8:00 p.m. Auditions received after this time may not be considered.  You can send your Video Submission to zach@woodstockarts.org. Please Slate before your video audition. (NOTE: you will still need to fill out the online audition form along with a video submission.) 

In-person callbacks  for DRACULA: COMEDY OF TERRORS will be on Saturday, August 9th  within the time-span. 11a.m -5 p.m.

Information about callbacks will be emailed separately.

For your audition please prepare- Please prepare one of the sides or monologues provided. These will be posted via dropbox link here by June 15th.

CASTING BREAKDOWNS- All roles are open ethnicity unless otherwise stated.

DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS Character Breakdown – we are able to cast a company of 7 actors (including understudies/swings).

About Casting and Gender – from the playwrights
“Please note that the play lovingly sends up gender “norms” in the style of some of our comedic heroes like Charles Ludlam and Monty Python, in that all characters can be played by actors of any gender, ethnicity, age or type.”

• Track 1 – late 20s – 40s, any ethnicity, any gender presentation. Plays the following roles:
  JONATHAN HARKER (RP British dialect): man, small in stature, unassuming. Prim and proper and obsessive-compulsive real estate agent, frightened of his own shadow. Engaged to his childhood crush Lucy Westfeldt and enamored of her fearlessness. Once bitten, he loosens up… a lot…and becomes a Tom Jones style rock star in leather pants.
  THREE SUITORS (various dialects): man, Lord Cavendish, Lord Windsor and Lord Havemercy, played simultaneously with the help of a puppet on either side of his head.
  BOSUN (Irish dialect): man, A scurvy seaman who goes down with the ship in a storm.
  GRAVEDIGGER (cockney dialect): man, A drunk gravedigger with a secret.
• TRACK 2: 30s-50s, any ethnicity, any gender presentation. Plays the following roles:
  DR. WESTFELDT (RP British dialect): man, Lucy and Mina’s Father, a misogynist blowhard; self-important and given to proclamations.
  RENFIELD (cockney dialect): man, Insane patient of Dr. Westfeldt who lives to serve and loves to eat bugs. In a word, he’s nuts.
  CAPTAIN (sea captain dialect): man, The scurvy salty captain of a doomed ship caught in a raging storm.
• TRACK 3: 20s-40s, any ethnicity, any gender presentation. Plays the following roles:
  – LUCY WESTFELDT (RP dialect): woman, Brilliant plucky earth scientist daughter of Dr. Westfeldt, she is full of energy and the spirit of adventure. She’s often underestimated because of her beauty. Engaged to Jonathan, but when Dracula moves to Whitby, she is captivated by his exotic European ways – their shared interests – and his shirtless torso. When her sister is bitten by Dracula, she courageously joins the cause.
  – KITTY (cockney dialect): woman, An elderly, dotty kleptomaniac patient of Dr. Westfeldt’s, she serves as a maid in his house. Think a less intelligent Mrs. Lovett.
  – DRIVER (thick Eastern European or Russian dialect): man, A Transylvanian male Uber-driver, part Mel Brooks, part Borat.
• TRACK 4: 20s-50s, any ethnicity, any gender presentation. Plays the following roles:
  – MINA WESTFELDT (RP dialect): woman, The oft overlooked Westfeldt daughter. She has always lived in her sister Lucy’s shadow and is quite desperate for attention. Immediately receptive to Dracula’s charms, she falls under his spell, succumbing to his curse.
  – JEAN VAN HELSING (German dialect): woman, German Doctor of Rare Infectious Diseases from the University of Schmutz, she is disciplined, scientific, humorless, stern and no-nonsense.

The role of Dracula is currently cast.