Character Notes

The play is cast with 13 men and 4 females. The roles are as follows:

THE PATIENTS
Chief Bromden
Dale Harding
Billy Bibbit
Scanlon
Cheswick
Martini
Ruckley
Randle P. McMurphy

THE STAFF
Aide Warren
Aide Williams
Dr. Spivey
Nurse Ratched
Nurse Flinn
Aide Turkle

OTHERS
Candy Starr
Sandra

Auditions at the Pa Playhouse will be scheduled soon. I anticipate the dates to be in the last two weeks of March. COME READ!

Mother Goose said it all.

The film's title was derived from a familiar, tongue-twisting Mother's Goose children's folk song (or nursery rhyme) called Vintery, Mintery, Cutery, Corn. The ones that fly east and west are diametrically opposed to each other and represent the two combatants in the film. The one that flies over the cuckoo's nest [the mental hospital filled with "cuckoo" patients] is the giant, 'deaf-mute' Chief:

Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn;
Wire, briar, limber lock,
Three geese in a flock.
One flew east,
And one flew west,
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

The Play

In 1963, one year after Ken Kesey's best selling novel of the same name was published, Dale Wasserman's stage adaptation made its Broadway premiere, running through 1964. Since then, the play has had two revivals: the first an off-Broadway production in 1971, the second a Broadway production in 2001 with Gary Sinise as McMurphy. A film version released in 1975 was based on the novel, but not on the play.

The 1964 Broadway production starred Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Gene Wilder as Billy Bibbit, and Ed Ames as Chief Bromden. Kirk Douglas retained the rights to make a movie version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" for a decade, but was unable to find a studio willing to make it with him. Eventually, he gave the rights to his son Michael Douglas, who succeeded in getting the movie produced. Unfortunately, by this time, Kirk Douglas was deemed too old for the role of McMurphy, and the role was given to Jack Nicholson.

The 2001 Broadway revival won the Tony Award that year for Best Play Revival. It was a Steppenwolf Theater production, directed by Terry Kinney and stared Gary Sinise, Amy Morton, Tim Sampson (Will's son), Eric Johner, and Ross Lehman.

Welcome to the Cuckoo's Nest

In June of this year the PA Playhouse will be producing "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" in Bethlehem, Pa. I have been selected to direct this piece and am looking forward to the task at hand. CCN is a neo-classic study in human nature and relationships. Anyone know a 6'6" Native American?

Keep visiting to find out more. Audition notices, character descriptions, cast bios etc will appear here as well as at the PA Playhouse webpage... www.paplayhouse.org