Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Auditions at Elmwood

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Jeffrey Hatcher
Directed by Debra Lee Failla

Tuesday November 1 and Wednesday November 2 – 7pm – 10pm
Invited callbacks scheduled for Friday November 4th – 7pm – 10pm

A new and shocking version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale by renowned playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. On the fog-bound streets of Victorian London, Dr. Henry Jekyll’s experiments have brought forth his dark side — the villain Edward Hyde. In Hatcher’s dramatic adaptation, one actor plays Jekyll while others portray the good doctor’s hidden faces of brutality, cruelty, and lust.

…a play that honors the original but gives a more complex interpretation of the dual nature of man.”
–Arizona Daily Star

IMPORTANT NOTE: The focus on the audition nights will be the actors’ ability to create different characters as this is critical to the production. Actors will be asked to read first as one character then again as another.***

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN – 4 men, 2 women

Dr. Henry Jekyll – Male, stage age 30s-50s. A brilliant, educated man, Jekyll is a highly ethical man and seeks to control humanity’s, and his own, darker urges.

Gabriel Utterson/Surgical Student 2/Hyde 1 – Male, stage age 30s-50s. Utterson is a general solicitor and Jekyll’s friend, a keen observer who is troubled by the appearance of Mr. Hyde. Also doubles as Hyde.

Sir Danvers Carew/ O.F. Sanderson/ Richard Enfield/ Inspector/Hyde 2 – Male, stage age 30s-50s. Carew is the chief surgeon of the College of London hospital; a corrupt, sadistic man who is Jekyll’s professional foe. Sanderson is Personal Enquiries Agent; Enfield is a friend of Jekyll and Utterson. Also doubles as Hyde.

Dr. H. K. Lanyon/Surgical Student 1/Hotel Porter/Hyde 3 – Male, stage age 30s-50s. Dr. Lanyon is Jekyll’s friend and a practicing physician, a Scotsman with an exuberant laugh. Doubles for the majority of the play as Hyde, a monstrous man in appearance and manner.

Poole/Police Doctor/Prostitute/Maid/Old Woman/Hyde 4 – Female, stage age 30s-50s. Poole is Jekyll’s attentive butler. The Prostitute, Old Woman, and Maid all have varying encounters with Hyde. Also doubles as Mr. Hyde.

Elizabeth Jelkes – Female, stage age late 20s-30s. Elizabeth is the object of Hyde’s lusts, a bold and tender woman.

There are a number of smaller roles which will be divided up amongst all the actors except for the actor who plays Henry Jekyll.

All men will read scene 10 – Jekyll/Lanyon scene playing 1 character then switch roles. May also read with actress in Elizabeth and Poole scenes.

All actresses will read Poole/Jekyll scene and Maid’s scene. May also read Elizabeth/Hyde scene.

Audition Scenes:

Please be familiar with the following

• 2 men – Jekyll/Lanyon – scene 10 pgs. 25-27
• 1 woman/1 man – Elizabeth/Hyde – scene 8 pgs. 22-24
• 1 woman – Maid’s lines only – scene 19 pg. 39
• 1 woman/1 man – Poole/Jekyll – scene 9 pgs. 24-25