Big Dawg Productions
Presents
God Of Carnage
Audition Call
Monday, Feb. 24th and Tuesday, Feb. 25th from 3 pm
432 Landmark Dr., Suite 1, Wilmington NC 28412
Big Dawg Productions is pleased to announce auditions for their upcoming presentation of “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors”, by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, on Sat. Aug. 2nd and Sun. Aug. 3rd at 3 pm. Auditions will take place at 432 Landmark Dr., Suite 1, Wilmington NC, and will consist of cold reads from the script. The play will be directed by Benjamin Thomas-Reid.
Performances will take place Oct. 16-19 and 23-26 at the Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.
Summary
Ever wondered what would happen if you took Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale and put it into a blender with Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and The 39 Steps? That’s just what happens in this lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud, 90-minute, gender-bending romp. When her sister Mina falls ill with a mysterious disease of the blood, Lucy Westfeldt and her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, enlist the help of famed female vampire hunter Doctor Jean Van Helsing. Their hunt for the dangerous and sexy Count Dracula abounds with
clever wordplay and quick-change antics. Five actors play over a dozen roles in this bloodcurdlingly hilarious send-up of the literary classic.
About Casting and Gender 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 characters can be played by actors of any gender, ethnicity, age or type.
The breakdown of the roles:
ACTOR ONE - Harker/Cavendish/Worthington/Havemercy/Bosun/Gravediggers
ACTOR TWO -
Dr. Westfeldt/Renfield/Captain/Man-Eating Wolf
ACTOR THREE -
Lucy/Kitty/Driver/Man-Eating Wolf
ACTOR FOUR -
Mina/Van Helsing/Man-Eating Wolf
ACTOR FIVE - Dracula
THE CHARACTERS
Dracula: He is portrayed as a very sexually attractive and alluring man with a magnetic personality. Partly because of this, he is extremely self-centered. Women tend to be naturally drawn to him as a romantic partner and men, especially Jonathan, are drawn to him as an exemplification of masculinity, boldness, and self-confidence.
Jonathan Harker: He is engaged to Lucy and is an extremely timid germaphobe. He is cautious about what he eats, takes no risks, and allows other characters to push him around.
Lucy Westfeldt: She is one of the heroes and plays an active role in getting rid of Dracula. She is engaged to Jonathan, usually takes the lead in their relationship, and often uses her cunning and her problem solving skills. She is intelligent and heroic.
Mina Westfeldt: She is a rather foolish sidekick of her sister Lucy, uncared for by her father and without any suitors. While close to Lucy, she often feels inadequate and in her sister’s shadow. She is desperate to be in a relationship, naïve, and easily taken in. An easy victim of Dracula,
she spends most of the show incapacitated.
Dr. Van Helsing: She is a German woman who speaks with a comically thick accent. She is also the brains of the operation in tandem with Lucy and provides much of the know-how about vampires.
Dr. Westfeldt: He is Lucy and Mina’s father. He also runs the insane asylum and cares for Renfield and Kitty but does so in a flippant and dehumanizing manner. He is emotionally unaware and misogynistic and favors Lucy over Mina, frequently pushing Mina to the side or ignoring her completely. He is arrogant and unwilling to believe he is wrong.
Renfield: He is a resident of the asylum and assists Dracula in his nefarious plans after being taken in by the offer of delicious insects. He is primarily motivated by his desire to eat other creatures and by personal gain.
Kitty: She is a maid in the insane asylum and a chronic kleptomaniac.
Lord Windsor/Lord Cavendish/Lord Havemercy: These three are all arrogant suitors of Lucy who arrive at her engagement party to offer their counterproposals of marriage. They are all played by puppets in the hands of one actor.
Driver: He takes Harker to Dracula’s castle. He speaks with a comically thick Transylvanian accent and is a caricature of the superstitious and overly cautious local.
Captain: He is the man in charge of the ship doomed to wreck in England carrying Dracula and his belongings.
Bosun: another member of the crew of the doomed shipwreck.
Gravedigger: a mysterious and creepy character who points them along the way in their hunt for Dracula.
For questions, please contact Steve Vernon, Artistic Director-Big Dawg Productions at svernonadbigdawg@gmail.com
