Auditions for Ghosts are August 3rd & 4th

  • When: Sunday, August 3, 3-5 p.m. and Monday, August 4, 7-9 p.m. 
  • Where: The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Main Branch Auditorium, 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH
  • Who: 2 female and 3 male actors, ages 20 - 50 (see character descriptions below)
  • What: Readings from the script by Henrik Ibsen, translation by Lanford Wilson
  • Bring: Headshot and resume if available
  • Rehearsals: Weekday evenings starting Monday, August 18 (TBD by actor availability)
  • Performances: Thursdays - Sundays, October 2 - 18 at MadLab's performance space

Character Descriptions (links to audition sides are at the end of each description)

MRS. HELEN ALVING (female, 40's), widow of Chancellor Alving.  Mrs. Alving spent her married life trying to conceal her husband's philandering debauchery from her son and the rest of the community.  Upon the 10th anniversary of his death, she is erecting an orphanage in his honor to solidify his "good name" and live the rest of her life free from his memory.  She is a confident, independent-thinking woman but during the course of the play she discovers that the lies she worked so hard to perpetuate have not bought her freedom but rather cost her what's most precious to her.  A wonderfully rich and challenging role, Mrs. Alving is the pivotal character in this play.  Helen ~ Helen with Manders ~ Helen with Oswald

OSWALD ALVING (male, 20's), her son, a painter. Oswald is a free thinking young man, full of the "joy of life." However, he has been diagnosed with syphilis and already it has taken away his ability to paint. He returns home from Paris in search of someone to take care of him and give him an easy exit from life when his disease becomes too debilitating. Oswald ~ Oswald with Helen

REVEREND MANDERS (male, 40's). Years ago, Reverend Manders was a close family friend of Mr. and Mrs. Alving but has only recently reentered Mrs. Alving's life to handle the business end of the orphanage. Unlike Mrs. Alving, he has always embraced conformity and admonishes Mrs. Alving to do the same. As a result he has never learned to mature by thinking for himself and he has lived a life of repressed sexuality. Manders ~ Manders with Regina ~ Manders with Helen

JAKKOB ENGSTRAND (male, 40-50's), a carpenter. Jakkob was hired to build the orphanage and with that job complete, he is searching for another scheme to make money. He is wily and slippery, calculating circumstances to his advantage. He is not above blackmail.  Engstrand ~ Engstrand with Regina

REGINA ENGSTRAND (female, 20's), Mrs. Alving's maid, Jakkob's daughter. Regina was taken into the Alving household at an early age and wants to become more than the hired help. She is practical, smart and looking for any means to get ahead.  Regina with Engstrand ~ Regina with Manders

Please send an email to
info [at] raconteurtheatre [dot] com
if you have any questions!