Audition
HARVEY
by Mary Chase
Director: Caprice Sorg
Cast: 9-10 Actors
Rehearsals: January 30 - March 2, 2023
Performances: March 3 - March 19, 2023
Audition Information
Location
Auditions will be online (Zoom) on January 21, 2023, with in-person masked callbacks on January 22, 2023.
This production will take place in person on the 3rd Act Theatre Stage at The Shoppes at Northpark.
Covid-19:
We are monitoring Covid safety and evaluating policies, and the safety of our cast, crew, audience, and staff is among our top priorities. Mask requirements will be assessed and may or may not be required for audiences or cast during this production.
About the Audition
We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every production, please submit without regard to ability, race, age, weight, color, national origin, ethnic origin, gender identity, or any other basis. Any specifics integral to the plot or required by the publisher will be listed in the individual announcement.
(Audition information is subject to change)
Please contact info@3rdacttheatreco.com for more information regarding perusal scripts and content. Auditions will be online (Zoom) with in-person Masked Callbacks.
Video Submissions will be accepted if an auditioner is unable to attend the audition.
Auditioners will read from provided sides. Sides and access to the Zoom meeting will be provided via a link sent before the auditions.
A small stipend will be provided.
About the Production
Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta's social gatherings. The trouble is Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid embarrassment for her family, and especially for her daughter Myrtle Mae, Veta decides Elwood should be committed. However, when a frantic Veta explains that years of living with Elwood's hallucination have caused her to see Harvey too, the doctors mistakenly commit her instead of her brother. When the truth comes out, it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on everyone, and in the end, even Veta realizes that maybe Harvey isn't so bad after all.
About the Characters
Character Advisory: All characters speak of mental illness and alcoholism in language that reflects the social attitudes of the times (1944).
Content Advisory: This production, written in 1944, deals with themes of mental illness and alcoholism, and reflects the language and social attitudes of those times.
Cast: 10 - 11 Actors
Elwood P. Dowd: mid 30s to late 50s, masculine-presenting. A charming eccentric whose best friend is Harvey, an invisible six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit. Elwood is well-mannered, very friendly, and charming. Elwood is Veta’s older brother.
Character Advisory: Is considered a person with mental illness and alcoholism.
Dr. William B. Chumley: 50 and older, masculine-presenting. An
esteemed psychiatrist and the head of Chumley’s Rest. He is a difficult, exacting man who will go to any length to protect the reputation of Chumley's Rest.
Dr. Lyman Sanderson: late 20s to late 40s, masculine-presenting. A young and highly qualified psychiatrist, handpicked by Dr. Chumley. His talent is only surpassed by his vanity.
Wilson: early 20s to late 50s, masculine-presenting. A devoted orderly at Chumley's rest, he sets his sights on Myrtle Mae. He is not a nice person.
Judge Omar Gaffney: 40 and older, masculine-presenting. An old family friend of the Dowds and the family’s lawyer. He is fiercely protective of the family and surprisingly understanding of Elwood’s belief in Harvey.
Veta Louise Simmons: late 30s to late 50s, feminine-presenting. Elwood’s younger sister, Veta has returned to the family home after the death of her mother and is intent on landing a suitable husband for her daughter Myrtle Mae. She is very concerned about fitting into society, and loves Elwood very much.
Ruth Kelly: early 20s to late 30s, feminine-presenting. A nurse at Chumley's rest who has a love/hate relationship with Dr. Sanderson. She is sweet and kind and looks for the best in people.
Myrtle Mae Simmons: late teens to mid 30s, feminine-presenting. Veta’s daughter and therefore Elwood's niece. Extremely self-centered, and looking for a suitable husband.
Ethel Chauvenet: late 40s and older, feminine-presenting. An old friend of the family. She is an elite member of the town’s social circle that Veta desperately wants Myrtle to break into. NOTE: may double as Betty Chumley.
Betty Chumley: late 40s and older, feminine-presenting. Dr. Chumley's wife, she is kind and talkative. NOTE: may double as Ethel Chauvenet.
Miss Johnson: any age, feminine-presenting. A maid in Elwood's house.
E. J. Lofgren: any age, any gender. A cab driver whose monologue about passengers is crucial to the climax of our story.