When: Saturday 1 and Sun 2 June 2024
Venue: Riverlea Theatre, 83 Riverlea Road, Hamilton
The story of the devil-may-care rogue who has committed himself temporarily to a mental home rather than work in a prison. He transforms the home, charming everyone, except the fierce martinet of a head nurse, and works wonders with a presumed deaf-and-dumb Indian.
For more information or to arrange an audition time please email: Production Manager, Hugh at
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Character Descriptions
The Patients
Chief Bromden:
The narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Chief Bromden is the son of a Native American Chief and a white woman. In addition to suffering from paranoia and hallucinations, Chief has received multiple electroshock treatments and has been in the hospital for 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. Bromden chronicles the story of the mental ward while developing his perceptual abilities and regaining a sense of himself as an individual.
Randle P. McMurphy:
The play’s protagonist. Randle McMurphy is a charismatic, larger-than-life, and profoundly masculine, a gambler, a con man, and backroom boxer, his body is heavily scarred and tattooed. After being sentenced to six months at a prison work farm, he didn’t protest when he was diagnosed as a psychopath and transferred to the hospital, McMurphy truely does not see himself as ill and figured life on a mental ward would be easier than physical labor.
The actor performing the role of McMurphy must be comfortable smoking a fake cigarette, kissing a female actor, safely engaging in stage combat, and being onstage in only his boxer shorts and wears just a towel in one scene.
Uses foul language.
Dale Harding:
A bitter, intelligent, educated and effeminate man, he’s president of the Patients’ Council. Harding helps McMurphy understand the realities of the hospital. Although he is married, Harding is a homosexual, and has difficulty dealing with the overwhelming social prejudice against homosexuals, so he hides in the hospital voluntarily. The actor performing the role of Harding must be comfortable smoking a fake cigarette and being onstage in his underwear and undershirt.
Billy Bibbit:
A shy patient that’s a case study in arrested development. Billy has a bad stutter and seems much younger than his thirty-one years. Billy is dominated by his mother, one of Nurse Ratched’s close friends. The actor performing the role of Billy must be comfortable both kissing a female actor onstage as well as being comfortable in onstage in underwear and an undershirt.
Scanlon:
Scanlon is the only Acute patient besides McMurphy who was involuntarily committed to the hospital. He’s cranky, stand-offish and possibly violent. Scanlon has fantasies of blowing things up. The actor performing the role of Scanlon must be comfortable being onstage in his underwear and undershirt.
Uses foul language.
Cheswick:
Cheswick, a man of much talk and little action, has a nervous disposition, and is prone to hysterical outbursts. When McMurphy arrives, he believes he’s found a savior who’ll stand up for him and the other patients. The actor performing the role of Cheswick must be comfortable in his underwear and undershirt onstage.
Martini:
Martini is a delusional Italian-American man who lives in a world of hallucinations and has a highly contagious and recognizable laugh. McMurphy frequently includes him in the card games with the other patients, even when Martini is interacting with his own hallucinations. The actor performing the role of Martini must be comfortable in his underwear and undershirt onstage.
Ruckly:
A Chronic patient. Ruckly, was once an Acute, but was transformed into a Chronic due to a botched lobotomy. His few lines are mostly profanities, but his tortured silence and stillness speak volumes. The actor performing the role of Ruckly must be comfortable shaving their head and remaining in a “Christ-like” pose for much of the play.
Uses foul language.
The Staff
Nurse Ratched:
The domineering head nurse of the hospital ward and the play’s antagonist. She is a former army nurse of indeterminate age, who rules her patients with an iron hand from behind a placating but icy façade. She selects her staff for their submissiveness and she weakens her patients through a psychologically manipulative program designed to destroy their self-esteem. The actor performing the role of Nurse Ratched must be comfortable to safely engaging in light stage combat and having her torso exposed while wearing a bra.
Nurse Flinn:
A meek, ineffectual, and highly-religious young woman. She is obsessed with a birthmark on her body that she attempts to scrub away nightly. Nurse Flinn is afraid of the patients’ sexuality as well as her own.
Dr. Spivey:
A smart but soft push-over of a doctor who is easily controlled by Nurse Ratched due to his mild-mannered and milquetoast demeanor. With McMurphy’s arrival, he, like the patients, begins to assert himself, and often finds himself supporting McMurphy against Nurse Ratched.
Aides; Warren & Williams
The hospital daytime aides are written as angry and disenfranchised young men. After hiring them, Nurse Ratched used their hatred of society to her own advantages, and now they both submit to her wishes completely.
The actors performing the roles of Warren and Williams must be comfortable safely engaging in physical situations including small hand-to-hand combat, both use foul language.
Aide; Turkle:
The nighttime orderly for Nurse Ratched’s ward has a genuinely warm presence that stands in opposition to the rest of the hospital staff but he’s not the best employee, he frequently shows up to work stoned and is responsible for helping McMurphy throw the illicit nighttime party that leads the play’s tragic ending. The actor performing the role of Turkle must be comfortable smoking a pretend joint onstage.
Others
Candy Starr:
A beautiful prostitute with a heart of gold, from Portland, Oregon. (Candy has been with McMurphy in the past) She relieves Billy Bibbit of his virginity. The actor performing the role of Candy must be comfortable kissing a male actor and being in various states of undress onstage.
Sandra:
An earthy, edgy prostitute with a good sense of humor. She is good friends with Candy and has had a past relationship with McMurphy. She accompanies Candy to the illicit nighttime party that McMurphy hosts on the hospital ward. The actor performing the role of Sandra must be comfortable kissing a male actor onstage.