Open Call Auditions for “Harvey”

The Rock River Players will be holding open auditions at the Williamsville Hall on June 17-18, 2:00-6:00pm for their fall production of the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Harvey. Directed by Pamela Corkey, Harvey tells the heartwarming story of Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible best friend, a six-foot tall rabbit named Harvey. Written by Mary Chase and set in the 1940s, this perennial favorite never fails to charm!

Auditioners will be asked to read scenes from the script. Character descriptions are included below – if you are interested in reading for a particular role, please feel free to contact us with a request for audition materials in advance. If you have time constraints within the audition times, please email us ahead of time or let us know when you arrive and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Rehearsals will begin in late June (exact schedule to be established based around company availability) and performances will take place on September 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and October 1.

We hope to see you there!

Fondly,

Amy Donahue (RRP Co-Artistic Director) + Pamela Corkey (Director)


CHARACTER LIST

Elwood P. Dowd (Male, 35-55)
The central character of the play, a charming eccentric whose best friend is Harvey, an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit. Elwood is well-mannered, friendly, kind, and has “old-school gentleman” charm.

Veta Louise Simmons (Female, 35-55) 
Elwood’s sister, who 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 all the social proprieties that that involves. She loves her brother Elwood very much, which is the dynamic that drives the action of the play.

Myrtle Mae Simmons (Female, 18-30) 
Myrtle is Veta’s daughter (Elwood’s niece). Myrtle is extremely self-centered and, along with her mother, is about the business of finding Myrtle a man to marry – a mission that is made impossible with Elwood and Harvey constantly popping in.

Dr. William B. Chumley (Male, 50-80)
Dr. Chumley is an esteemed psychiatrist and the head of Chumley’s Rest, a sanitarium. A difficult, exacting person who will go to any length to protect the reputation of the sanitarium.

Betty Chumley (Female, 50-80) 
Dr. Chumley’s kind and talkative spouse.

Wilson (Male, 20-50) 
Wilson is the muscle of Chumley’s Rest, a devoted orderly responsible for handling the patients who will not cooperate voluntarily. He sets his sights on Myrtle Mae Simmons soon after meeting her.

Dr. Lyman Sanderson (Male, 20-40)
Dr. Sanderson is a young and highly qualified psychiatrist, handpicked by Dr. Chumley, whose talent is only surpassed by his vanity. Mutually infatuated with Nurse Kelly, Dr. Sanderson struggles not to let on.

Ruth Kelly (Female, 20-35)
Nurse Kelly is a sweet and attractive young person who always looks for the best in people and has a love/hate relationship with Dr. Sanderson.

Ethel Chauvenet (Female, 50-80)  
Mrs. Chauvenet is 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.

Judge Omar Gaffney (Male or Female, 40-80)  
The judge is an old family friend and lawyer of the Dowds who is fiercely protective of the family and surprisingly understanding of Elwood’s belief in Harvey.

EJ Lofgren (Open casting)  
EJ Lofgren is a cab driver whose monologue about sanitarium passengers is crucial to the climax of the play.