SLEEPY HOLLOW AUDITION INFORMATION

All those cast in SLEEPY HOLLOW are encouraged to become a KVTA general member ($30) beginning on June 1. Your membership helps fund our organization for the next 60 years!

 

Director: Josh Hedding-Hess

Assistant Director: Andy Breeden

​​

​​​​PERFORMANCE DATES / LOCATION:

October 8, 9 and 10, 2026 from 5 pm until as late as 12 AM

PLEASE BE AWARE BEFORE AUDITIONING THAT THESE ARE LATE PERFORMANCE NIGHTS, AND ACTORS WILL BE OUTSIDE THE ENTIRE TIME.

RAIN DATES FOR THIS PRODUCTION INCLUDE: OCTOBER 11, 14, 15, 16, AND 17.

Bourbonnais Township Park District Perry Farm 459 N Kennedy Dr Bradley, IL 60915

​

AUDITION AND CALLBACK DATES / LOCATION:

AUDITIONS: Thursday, August 6 beginning at 6:00 pm, Callbacks immediately following

LOCATION: KVTA Studios  1 Stuart Dr  Kankakee IL 60901

​

Auditioners may sign up to audition for Arsenic and Old Lace as well as A Night in Sleepy Hollow. The Directors of these productions will work together to determine the scheduling for both casts.

​

Questions regarding auditions, callbacks, or casting, may be emailed to the Director, Josh Hedding-Hess, at: sleepyhollow@kvta.org​​

​

All auditioners must be 8 and older by auditions on August 6, 2026. Proof of age may be requested. and actors of any ethnicity / race are encouraged to audition for any part. All auditioners must complete an audition form, a conflict calendar, and sign KVTA's policy acknowledgement form. Cast members are required to provide the following personal items: shoes, socks, and stage makeup. In addition, cast members may be asked to supply other items such as: leotards, tights, etc. Optional expenses include: a digital download from the production, a picture CD, apparel items, production party attendance, cast/staff chill times, etc. PLEASE NOTE: Child care is not available during rehearsals and performances. Cast and staff members are not permitted to bring their children, or any additional family members, to rehearsals, unless prior permission has been given by the KVTA Board of Directors. ​All rehearsals are closed to the public unless otherwise stated. All KVTA and BTPD facilities are smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free. Anyone found to be in violation of these policies may be removed from the production.

​​

If you have already signed a policy acknowledgement form during our 2026-2027 Season, you do not need to sign this form again.

KVTA Policies: PDF

KVTA Policy Acknowledgement Form to be signed: PDF

All participants, on-stage or off-stage, will be required to sign KVTA's Social Media, Sexual Harassment, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies. If said participant is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will sign for the participant. Any parent or guardian signing for their auditioner agrees to instruct and provide information to their auditioner regarding KVTA's policies. An Emergency Card and Waiver of Liability must also be completed and signed in order to participate. These forms will be distributed when you first volunteer with KVTA. If you have any questions please email: kvta@kvta.org

​​​​

AUDITION INFORMATION:

Please sign up for an audition time HERE.
-  The 6:00-6:30 pm time slot is currently reserved for auditioners age 8 to 15.

-  All auditioners age 16 and over should sign up for the 6:30 pm time slot.

-  If you cannot attend the audition time slot appropriate for your age, please email the Director at sleepyhollow@kvta.org and we will come up with a suitable option for everyone involved.

​

Audition Form can be downloaded here:: Microsoft Word    PDF

​

Conflict Calendar can be downloaded HERE.

​​

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST OF AUDITIONERS. THIS LIST WILL BE MANUALLY UPDATED ONCE A DAY.

 

ANTICIPATED REHEARSAL TIMES:​​

Rehearsals will start the week of August 10, 2026. During August, individual cast members can expect to have rehearsal no more than two times per week. During September and October, individual cast members can expect to have rehearsal up to five times per week. While we are learning blocking, not all actors will be needed at all rehearsals. Once we begin running the acts, rehearsals will be full cast.

 

Please list all conflicts that you have from auditions through performances. Conflicts will not preclude you from being cast. They are needed for us to develop a rehearsal schedule, which will be based on cast and staff availability. Attendance for Tech Week is mandatory.

​

Rehearsal dates are subject to change. We want to have all of the cast at ALL of our final tech rehearsals, so please be open and honest when completing your conflict calendar. Please be sure to list all of your conflicts from the audition date through the final performance date. If you have any questions about the information provided here, please email the Director, Josh Hedding-Hess, at sleepyhollow@kvta.org.

​​​​​

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
​

Ichabod Crane 

School teacher, very superstitious, awkward, trying to court Katrina.

 

Katrina Van Tassel

Strong and independent, grieving her mother and is the main character of her own story

 

Brom Bones 

Very confident in his looks and abilities, trying to court Katrina

 

Molly (Child)

Shy, but happy to tease her brother, cautious about the Headless Horseman

 

James (Child)

Thinks he’s older than he is, not too afraid of the Headless Horseman

 

Mrs. Sparrow

Very protective of her children, and loves to scare them with ghost stories

 

Mr. Sparrow

Likes to poke fun at Ichabod and also scare his children

 

Agnise, Gertrude & Ursula

Three witches who have used their magic to set the course of the Headless Horseman. All three have distinct personalities. 

 

Balthus Van Tassel

Father of Katrina, host of the harvest party, richest man in town.

 

Mrs. Hansen

House keeper to the Van Tassels, knows all about the family and Sleepy Hollow.

 

Nathaniel & Levi

Teens of young adults, Brom's buddies who love getting into trouble and teasing Ichabod

​

Eleanor Van Tassel

Katrina’s mother, she is a ghost who helps Katrina unravel the mystery of her former love

 

Gabriel

The town drunk who likes to have fun and gets lost often.

​​​​

INITIAL AUDITION FORMAT:

At the initial audition, everyone will read one monologue of their choice from the options provided below.

​

CHILDREN'S READING 1- I’m scared, Mr. Ichabod. Why do we all have to walk together? We always walk ourselves home. 

 

CHILDREN'S READING 2- Let’s go already, we are fine. You know the Headless Horseman doesn’t kill kids.

 

ICHABOD- I’m not afraid! I’ve already heard plenty of spooky Tarry Town stories in my short time here, but I truly don’t believe in any of that fiddle faddle. I’m only escorting you all on this night out of precaution. It is October 31st, All Hallow’s Eve, and many of your parents are worried for your safety. Now we need to hurry!

 

FATHER- You?! Don’t believe? Ha!  That’s not what I’ve heard from the old Dutch wives. You’ve been here for all of three months, and already on your nightly walks home, you’ve allegedly seen a witch flying through the hollow, a horse with two heads, and, apparently, saw the devil himself dressed as a spruce tree. 

He’s the Headless Horseman, what do you think he’s after? He lost his head in the war some 20 years ago, and every year he goes harvesting heads to find a new one. We all left the war missing something. For me, a few toes. For my friend John Whitmer, his left arm from the shoulder. But didn’t a one of us come back missing a head.

 

MOTHER- How could you have these children out here so late? On All Hallow’s Eve! You didn’t think to cancel, tonight of all nights?… The Horseman is out. That’s the thing about Sleepy Hollow. Just when you think you couldn’t imagine a thing to happen, it’s already become legend. 

When I was a child, it was the howling woods near the Hudson pass. Some said it was just wind through the valley, but it turned out it was the soul of a lost miner, who died in an icy cave and every winter lured travelers into his frozen tomb

 

WITCH- We are the three who cursed the Headless Horseman. A German soldier fighting for the enemy British. He went to war, but he fell in love with a woman in Sleepy Hollow. An enemy love. But a powerful one. So he sought us out, and made a deal that he would come back to her. But he didn’t ask to come back “alive!” Ha ha ha!

 

ELEANOR- I’ve lived an entire life since I lost you, but I still feel so tied to you, for reasons I can’t explain. Maybe it’s this necklace. I’ve kept it close since you gave it to me, but now it weighs so heavy on me. It brings me so much sadness. Even with all my sickness, I still feel its pain. And I can’t bear it anymore... I’m sorry, but I have to get rid of it! Tomorrow I’m going to take it to the river, and drop it off the bridge where we first confessed our love.

 

KATRINA- My life has been so filled with death, Ichabod. Each year I’ve lost

someone close to me. For years, it was my suitors. But just this year, I lost the most

important person in my entire life. My dear mother. She passed away from a mysterious illness last winter, and was laid to rest here. I’ve wondered, ever since, why she died. She was still young and bright and beautiful. But there always seemed to be something weighing her down.

 

BROM- Oh, come on. No one can stop him. He’s an undead spirit. You can only outrun him. Like I did! Two years ago on this very night, All Hallows Eve! Luckily I was there to parry his saber thrusts and deflect his fire-breathing pumpkins. I raced him on horseback all the way to the bridge. This is our chance to draw him off. And kill him once and for all! Men with me! Women and Students out the back door.​

​

CAST LIST:
The cast list will be posted on the KVTA website at http://www.kvta.org and on the KVTA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kankakeetheatre by Saturday, August 8. Thank you in advance for your patience as we will have many difficult decisions to make! 
 

For those cast in the show, our CAST MEETING and READ THRU will be held at 6 pm on August 13 at the KVTA Studios.

​​​​​​​​

Further questions regarding auditions, callbacks, or casting may be emailed to the Director, Josh Hedding-Hess, at: sleepyhollow@kvta.org.  Please include Sleepy Hollow Auditions in the subject line.

​​​​

Break a leg!

​​​​

Sincerely,

The Staff of A Night in Sleepy Hollow​