ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

(12 Males & 4 Females. Ethnically diverse cast desired. Flexible age ranges for all characters)

RANDLE P. MCMURPHY – (M, Patient ‐ 40’s – 50’s) A gambler, a con man, and a backroom brawler. Has shaggy hair, long sideburns, a scared face and a devilish grin. He is an extreme extrovert, laughs easily, is bombastic and very charismatic. Has a choreographed fight scene. Wears just a towel and boxer shorts in another scene. Often uses foul language.

NURSE RATCHED – (F, Staff ‐ 40’s – 50’s) The head of the hospital ward. Her age is hard to distinguish. She masks her humanity and femininity behind a stiff, patronizing façade. There is an odd perfection about her. She weakens her patients through a psychologically manipulative program designed to destroy their self-esteem. Ratched’s emasculating, mechanical ways slowly drain all traces of humanity from her patients. Will have a choreographed fight scene.

CHIEF BROMDEN – (M, Patient ‐ 40’s – 50’s) The huge, bull-muscled, 6’ 6” tall, halfbreed son of an Indian Chief. He has been in the hospital for more than ten years, longer than any other patient in the ward. Bromden sees modern society as a huge, oppressive conglomeration that he calls the Combine, and the hospital as a place meant to fix people who do not conform.

AIDE WARREN and AIDE WILLIAMS – (M, Staff ‐ 20’s – 40’s) The Day Time Aides. Cruel and demeaning, they are Nurse Rached’s stooges. (Fight scenes, both use foul language)

NURSE FLINN – (F, Staff ‐ 20’s – 60’s) A vapid (dull or uninteresting) woman with apprehensive eyes. She wears a gold cross at her throat, a sign of her strict Catholic upbringing. She is fearful of the patients’ sexuality. She is fearful in general.

DALE HARDING – (M, Patient ‐ 40 plus) College‐educated with a sharp mind and tongue. He is President of the Patients’ Council. Although he is married, he is effeminate and questions his own masculinity.

BILLY BIBBIT – (M, Patient ‐ 20’s – 30’s) Shy and has a bad stutter. He seems younger than his age. Dominated by his mother, one of Nurse Ratched’s close friends. Billy is voluntarily in the hospital.

SCANLON – (M, Patient ‐ 40’s – 60) Nearly bald, in his 50’s. Involuntarily committed to the hospital. He has fantasies of blowing things up. Uses foul language.

CHESWICK – (M, Patient ‐ 30 ‐ 60) Short, chubby man with a crew-cut. Eager and quick to argue or fight, but alternately obedient and servile. Aggressively defiant yet cringing. All talk, no action.

MARTINI – (M, Patient ‐ 25 – 60) An eager little Italian man who lives in a world of delusional hallucinations.

RUCKLY – (M, Patient ‐ 25 – 50) A Chronic patient with a shaven head and empty eyes who mostly stands crucified against the wall. Was once curable, but was transformed into a Chronic due to a botched lobotomy.Uses foul language.

DR. SPIVEY – (M, Staff ‐ 50 – 70) The administrator and resident psychiatrist of the mental institution. He is a pipe smoking, glasses fumbling harassed fellow of no great force who doubts that anything is wrong with McMurphy’s mind, but defers to the opinion of Nurse Ratched.

AIDE TURKLE – (M, Staff ‐ 50s – 70’s) The nighttime orderly for Nurse Ratched’s ward. He is an elderly Tech / night watchman who drinks and smokes marijuana. McMurphy bribes him to help arrange the play’s final party.

CANDY STARR – (F, Other ‐ 21 – 40) A prostitute from Portland with a “heart of gold.” She is physically attractive and passive, and relieves Billy Bibbit of his virginity.
SANDY GILFILLIAN ‐ (F, Other ‐ 30 ‐ 45) A prostitute who comes with Candy to the late‐night party.