Auditions: Monday, August 18th @ 6:30 pm and Tuesday, August 19th @ 6:30 pm
Potential Callbacks Wednesday, August 20th
Performance Dates: October 17 – November 1
Auditions will be held at The Hickory Community Theatre, 30 3rd St NW, Hickory, NC 28601
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.
All performance roles are volunteer.
About the Show:
A lawyer hires an actor to help him recount to family and friends a haunting story from a funeral he attended. There, he saw the Woman in Black—a feared specter whose presence means death. She haunts the town where her illegitimate child tragically died, and mere mention of her strikes terror into the locals. Anyone who sees her does not have long to live.
Character Breakdown:
Arthur Kipps
Age: 50s–70s
Gender: Male-presenting
A reserved and emotionally burdened solicitor who endured a haunting experience in his youth. In the play-within-a-play structure, Kipps serves as both narrator and supporting character—recreating his journey by performing the roles of various people he encountered. The actor playing Kipps should be a skilled storyteller with a command of multiple character voices and physicalities.
The Actor
Age: 20s–40s
Gender: Male-presenting
Engaged by Kipps to help dramatize and present his story, the Actor is confident, charismatic, and initially skeptical of the ghostly material. He takes on the role of the “younger Kipps” in the re-enactment, immersing himself in the solicitor’s past and gradually unraveling as the line between fiction and reality becomes blurred. This role requires a strong stage presence, as the Actor drives the narrative and builds tension throughout.
The Woman in Black
Age: Flexible
Gender: Female-presenting
A ghostly, silent figure cloaked in mourning garb. She does not speak but exerts a chilling presence through stillness, timing, and physicality. Her appearances are sudden, unsettling, and always signal doom. Strong movement skills are a must.
