Auditions in San Antonio for 'The Haunted House' by Plautus, Overtime Theatre, August 3, 2013

The Haunted House by Plautus, adapted by Tom Jenkins, Directed by Kyle Gillette; Auditions at the Overtime Theater Saturday, Aug 3: 12-3; Callbacks Sunday, Aug 4: 12-4 -- at 1203 Camden, Near the Pearl Brewery Complex, San Antonio, Texas, 78215 - click for map


The Haunted House is a joyous, goofy farce by the Roman comic playwright Plautus (some of whose works became the basis for the Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). All of the traditional stock elements of Roman comedy are here: the crafty slave (Tranio), the crabby old Father (Cantankerus), the buxom prostitute (Viagra), the lovesick young-man (Gluteus Maximus), etc. 

(cover art: Halcyon Press via bn.com)

The plot is this: Father departs on a business trip, and his son immediately buys a prostitute and parties non-stop. When Father unexpectedly returns, Tranio, the crafty slave, hides everyone in the house--and convinces Father than the house is, in fact, haunted. But Tranio's deception spawns even more lies, and eventually embroils the entire city in his deception, including an unsuspecting neighbor, and an avaricious money-lender. The beauty of Plautus' play is that it combines the lowest of comedy--slapstick and puns!--with keen social commentary, including criticism of real-estate housing bubbles (still a problem) as well as the pretensions and stupidity of the powerful. 

Tom Jenkins' modern adaptation sets the play in San Antonio, and is jammed with zippy and hopefully offensive wordplay.

Cast of characters (Except for Tranio and Cantankerus, some parts may be doubled):

Tranio: A tricky slave, any age. (Originally written as male, could be female.)
Grumio: A country slave, any age. (Originally written as male, could also be female.)
Cantankerus: A crabby old master. (Somewhere between 40 and 110 years old. Closer to 110.)
Gluteus (Maximus): Cantankerus's 18-year-old dissolute son. (Has one song to sing.)
Simo: Cantankerus's married neighbor. (Must be male; between 35 and 99.)
Inebrius: Gluteus's best friend. (Male, Early 20\'s.)
Viagra: Gluteus's girlfriend, and ex-prostitute. (Female, 20s or 30s)
Scapha: Viagra's hair-dresser, and a slave. (Female, 40s or older.)
Avaricius: a greedy money-lender. (Written as male, could be female.)
Xena: a female slave and a floozy. (Written as female, could conceivably be a male. Mid 20\'s.)
Phaniscus: a Good Slave. (Written as male, could be female. Any age.) 

For More Information: 210-557-7562 or info@theovertimetheater.org