One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
By Dale Wasserman From the Novel by Ken Kesey
Directed by Joe Atkinson
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LOCATION:
Evansville Civic Theatre @ 717 N. Fulton Ave, Evansville, IN 47710
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DATES & TIMES:
September 22, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
September 23, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Callbacks:
September 26, 12:00-2:00 p.m. (you will be notified no later than Thursday Evening)
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If you cannot make either of the scheduled audition dates, please reach out to the director at joe.w.atkinson@gmail.com by Monday, September 14 to arrange a time to audition or send in an audition video.
Audition videos are allowed and must be turned in no later than September 23.
Any questions can be directed to Joe Atkinson at joe.w.atkinson@gmail.com , we do not field messages on our Facebook page or Facebook Messenger.
SHOW DATES:
November 13-15; 20-22
Friday-Saturday @ 7:30PM & Sunday @ 2:00PM
Tech and dress rehearsals will begin the weekend of November 7-12. Strike will be on November 22 immediately following the show. Attendance is required for these dates.
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CONTENT WARNING: mature language, sexual references, drugs, mental illness, self-harm, assault
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WHAT TO BRING TO AUDITIONS:
Please come prepared to list all dates and times that you will be unavailable for rehearsals from the day of your audition through November 22. This includes but is not limited to known work schedules and obligations for any other productions you may be taking part in.
Sides are available from the director at joe.w.atkinson@gmail.com. If you are auditioning for the role of Randle Patrick McMurphy, please select and come prepared to deliver a 1-2 minute speech of your choice as the character.
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WHAT TO EXPECT AT AUDITIONS:
We will start off with an introduction & filling out audition forms. If you want to fill out one early, please feel free to do so on our audition page on evvcivic.org. Please write in print.
We will do reads from the script (sides available - see above)
Those auditioning for roles other than RP McMurphy will be dismissed
Those auditioning for the role of RP McMurphy will tell their stories in character.
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ABOUT THE PLAY:
Based on Ken Kesey's novel and adapted by Dale Wasserman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a stage play set in a psychiatric ward ruled with an iron fist by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched. When the rebellious, free-spirited con man Randle P. McMurphy arrives to serve a short sentence instead of doing hard labor, he disrupts the ward's rigid conformity, leading his fellow patients in a dangerous battle of wills against institutional authority.
CHARACTERS:
The cast will consist of up to 17 actors. Ages are flexible.
AVAILABLE ROLES (in order of appearance):
Randle P. McMurphy (M, Adult) - Charismatic, rebellious, funny, profane. Larger than life. McMurphy quickly challenges Nurse Ratched’s authority and becomes a champion for the other patients. Requires strong comic and dramatic range and commanding stage presence.
Chief Bromden (M, adult. Indigenous/Native American) - A physically imposing patient who has convinced the ward he is deaf and unable to speak. Quiet and observant, Chief experiences the hospital through a mixture of reality, memory, and trauma.
Should be cast with an Indigenous/Native actor.
Nurse Ratched (F, adult) - Intelligent, composed, and relentlessly controlled. The ward’s head nurse maintains authority through rules, psychological pressure, and an intimate understanding of her patients’ vulnerabilities.
Dale Harding (M, adult) - Educated, articulate, witty, and deeply insecure. The patients’ unofficial intellectual leader.
Billy Bibbit (M, 20s) - Shy, sensitive, anxious, and burdened by a pronounced stutter and deep insecurity.
Charles Cheswick (M, adult) - Excitable, emotional, argumentative, and quick to protest the ward’s rules.
Martini (M, adult) - A patient whose perception of reality frequently differs from everyone else’s. Sincere, imaginative, and often very funny,
Scanlon (M, adult) - Intense, suspicious, and fascinated by explosives and elaborate schemes. Often absorbed in his own world.
Ruckly (M, adult) - A severely impaired chronic patient who has undergone a lobotomy.
Nurse Flinn (F, 20s/early 30s) - A younger nurse working under Nurse Ratched. Nervous, conventional, and less confident than Ratched.
Dr. Spivey (M, 40-60s) - The ward psychiatrist. Professional and educated but somewhat tentative, particularly compared with Nurse Ratched.
Warren (M, adult) - A ward attendant who helps enforce the institution’s rules and maintain physical control over the patients.
Williams (M, adult) - A ward attendant who works alongside Warren to maintain discipline and control.
Candy Starr (F, 20s/30s) - McMurphy’s, playful, uninhibited friend from outside the hospital.
Sandra (F, 20s/30s) A lively, free-spirited friend of McMurphy and Candy who joins the ward’s late-night celebration.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN CASTING:
The Evansville Civic Theatre is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse creative environment. We actively welcome actors from all races, backgrounds, and lifestyles. We believe in considering all auditioners, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, stage of pregnancy, disability, age, or veteran status. We encourage anyone who is interested to audition! Every auditioner will be considered for a role, unless the race, age, or gender of a character is integral to the story or explicitly specified by the playwright and required by the production contract.