Little Theatre announces auditions for haunting drama ‘The Woman in Black’ Nov. 2-3

Auditions for “The Woman in Black” will be held Sunday and Monday, Nov. 2-3, at the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and auditioners are asked to stay for the full session. Callbacks, if needed, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 5, for the two male roles. There will be no callbacks for the role of the Woman in Black.

Those auditioning for the Woman in Black should prepare a one-to-two-minute monologue that conveys a mysterious, haunting presence. Director Jared Sparks-Lee said he is looking for movement and body dynamics, since the role is non-speaking.

“This character is a spectral presence, terrifying in stillness and physicality,” Sparks-Lee said. “Although she has no spoken lines, she must show precision in movement control and the ability to embody menace through gesture and atmosphere.”

Auditioners for the other two roles should prepare both monologues provided on the theater’s website. Memorization is not required, but they should be performed in a British accent.

Arthur Kipps is age 40-70, a retired solicitor who is emotionally reserved but tormented by a traumatic incident from his youth. In performance, the actor playing Kipps also portrays multiple supporting characters, requiring versatility and strong character work.

The Actor is a confident male performer in his 20s to 40s hired by Kipps to dramatize his story. The role requires charisma, emotional range and stamina.

The play centers on a lawyer who hires an actor to help him tell a chilling story that has haunted him for years — a tale of a funeral he once attended in a remote village, where he first encountered the terrifying Woman in Black, a specter tied to the death of her child and believed to bring death to anyone who sees her.

Rehearsals will begin the week of Nov. 9 and will take place two to three days a week through November, increasing in December. Actors will be called only as needed. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Assisting Sparks-Lee are David Sparks-Lee, assistant director; Seth Rhodes, stage manager; and Haley Kimble, producer. Sponsors include the ARTSNCT Arts Center of Newcomerstown and season corporate sponsors Dover Eagles 515, Roger and Mary Spies, and Park Village Health Care Center.

The Little Theatre is located at 466 Carrie Ave. NW in New Philadelphia.