Produced by Lora Buckman

Written and Directed by Terry Smith

Hauntings, Hijinks, and Hoopla is a comic melodrama with Vaudeville-style olio acts.  The play involves a southern belle, her heroic suitor, and her eccentric father -- all defending their plantation from a villainous treasure-seeker.  Mr. Smith's first stage play is filled with haunting family fun!
 

See the cast and staff!

Tell me about the characters!

What is an olio act?

Performances:

April 21, 22, 28 & 29 at 8:00 PM

April 23 & 30 at 2:00 PM

Theatre at Sterling Middle School

The Cast

Character Descriptions

Charlotte Belle – The heroine. A northerner who is called back home by her grandfather, The Colonel, to save the family plantation. The bank has given them a couple of months to come up with the money or they face foreclosure.  She has no clue on how to behave as a southern belle and thinks they are very feminine, swoon easily and gush over everyone and everything. She has a fight with Beau Handsome. She is a major role.

Colonel Jeremiah Belle – The daffy grandfather. An older but kind, daffy gentleman who still believes in southern tradition and that the civil war hasn’t ended. He is a medium role.

Yankee Jack – The hero. He is a ghost who haunts the southern plantation as a northern soldier that died in the civil war. He is caring and funny. He is a major role and has a large fight with Beauregard Handsome. Requires the ability to do stage combat.

Beauregard Handsome – The villain. He is a very handsome person who uses his looks, northern charm, and sophistication to win Charlotte’s heart. He is a major role. Requires stage combat ability.

Willy Willy – One of Beau’s henchmen. She/he is light hearted, doesn’t catch on to ideas quickly, and is in the mold of the keystone cops. This is a comedic role requiring lots of facial and over the top expressions. She/he is a major role that requires a lot of physical ability.

Voodoo Bayoo – One of Beau’s henchmen. A henchman who in contrast to Charlotte is a bit of a tomboy. She is the ringleader of the henchmen and is at times very serious and at other times funny. She never turns down a challenge and is the brains of the three henchmen. She is a major role that requires a lot of physical ability.

Henry Warren – One of Beau’s henchman. She/he is comedic but limited in vocabulary. She/he uses a single word, “dude” and facial expressions to communicate. She/he has the ability to express him/herself in many ways by changing the inflection of his/her voice. She/he is a major role that requires a lot of physical ability.

Suz Jabberoski – The psychic. Suz is an outlandish character from Brooklyn, New York, and has lived in the region for several years. She has become a friend of Charlotte’s over the last few months. She does psychic readings and séances in her spare time. She is non-stop motion, a whirlwind of energy, highly opinionated and takes control of any situation that she finds herself in by not letting anyone get a word in edge wise. She is a very small role with some possible physical requirements.

Bill(y) Weasel – The Pest Control person. Bill is a good ol’ southern boy/girl who was born and raised in the area. She/he obtained his/her pest control credentials by taking a correspondence course. She/he is the area’s rodent specialist and all around handy person. She/he starts off as a normal pest control person but after each scene becomes a little more military in attire and bearing.  She/he is a small to medium role.

Bianca Smith – The housekeeper. She is a crotchety woman who has been the housemaid all her life. She is supportive and kind to those that live there but is sarcastic and cynical to those she doesn’t like. She is a fourth generation caretaker and is very proud of her job and the heritage of the plantation.  She is a medium role.

Violet Smith – She is the granddaughter or daughter of Bianca. It was requested by her parent that she spend her summer vacation working at the plantation. She is a comical over energized person who overhears conversations and is troubled about what to say and what not to say. She is a medium part.

Daisy Gardner – The groundskeeper. She is a third generation caretaker. She is very proud of the work she has done and takes great pride in her work. She is supportive of the owners and doesn’t want to see its foreclosure. She is a small role.

Joe Seller – The salesperson. This person is a ghost who always seems to arrive at the correct time. She/he sells anything and everything and always has what you need. During the show whenever a character needs something this person shows up and sells it to them. She/he is over the top character similar to a classic used car salesman. Lots of energy. She/he is a small role. 

Sam Piano – The Piano player. Plays the piano for all acts, provides dramatic music for each character during scenes and plays the part of a ghost who used to play the piano at the plantation during its glory years. The character is silly, pretends to drink a lot, and provides one-liners during the show. She/he provides the introduction and history of the plantation at the beginning. She/he is a small role for the show and a major part for music. Must be able to play the piano.

Advertiser – This person introduces each of the sponsors. This can be for spot ads, scene ads or olio acts.

Card Person – This person is responsible for prompting the audience when it is time to boo, hiss, applaud or laugh. They also will be asked to do some scene ads. They are on stage during the entire show.

What is an olio act?
It's a novelty variety act lasting one to two minutes.  Hauntings, Hijinks, and Hoopla will be interspersed with olio acts between the scenes of the play.  The acts may be unrelated to the play itself.  Acts can include song and dance, juggling, ventriloquism, magic, poetry reading, etc.  Think of Vaudeville as a reference.
 

Director Terry Smith and his staff will judge the acts for possible inclusion in the show.  If you have an olio act you would like to submit, be prepared to perform it as part of your audition. Remember to keep it under two minutes, and make it entertaining!
 

If you don't have an olio act to submit, you can still audition to be a performer in the olio acts. Likewise, you can still audition to be an actor in the play itself.
 

Check this space again for updates with more information.