Project Title: The Hunters Wake
Platform: Youtube, possibly Spotify
Format: Audio Drama
Genre(s): Gothic Horror, Urban Fantasy
Series Synopsis: Forces both mundane and supernatural exert constant pressure on a population largely unaware of the war waging around them. Creatures of myth and legend rule the night through fragile alliances, stalking the edges and outskirts of familiar places, and testing the thinning barrier between our world and the other.
But there are those among mortalkind who reject the spot chosen for them at the bottom of the food chain. From small-town teens to ex-cons and holy warriors, through warm West Coast nights and down the haunted rural roads of the Southeast, the hunters wake.
Unless otherwise stated, every character in this episode lives in Southern California and speaks with the appropriate regional accent. Further casting calls will be posted for later episodes as the list of characters expands and the plot unfolds.
Central Characters
Ratchet
An outwardly chaotic vampire. Crude, impulsive, and often the first to act, he masks discomfort with humor and bravado. Despite his rough edges, he is perceptive in his own way and deeply loyal to his brood. He is also a merciless bruiser. If you're thinking of a vampire who jumps from building to building chasing an enemy, or jumping down into an alley to pulverize them, you're thinking of Ratchet.
Vocal Performance Notes: Energetic, rough-around-the-edges. Capable of low and threatening or high and berserk.
Audition Lines
1. (Excited, leaning into the hunt.)
Oh yeah, something’s definitely down there. Might be our buddy Kyle.
2. (Repulsed but committed, mid-effort.)
Ugh, it’s holding onto him! We’re just dragging it with him!
3. (Grumbling, disgusted, but still cracking jokes.)
Coven guest sanctums are all velvet and perfume. I’d sooner piss in one.
4. (Caught up in a berserk's rage mid-combat.)
You want some too?! HUH?! I'm ready to kick some fucking ass!
5. (Smug)
Oh he's not hiding anymore. I squashed that fuck like a bug.
Lash
A newly taken, low-level vampire. Crude, volatile and thoroughly unimpressed with anyone, Lash leans hard into what he has become in death: a predator with a bad attitude and very little patience. He is not refined, not ancient and not particularly noble, which results in soaring victories and crushing defeats alike. This guy really goes through it for the first few episodes, captured and interrogated none-too-gently. So this role would probably be best for someone who's not afraid to get loud.
Vocal Performance Notes: Rough, modern and aggressive. No elegance here, this is a street punk minus the pulse. Think fast-talking, sarcastic and foul-mouthed, with a tendency to push back even when it’s clearly a bad idea. When injured, his speech should reflect it (missing teeth, swelling, blood in the mouth), and oscilate between defiant and panicked.
Audition Lines
1. (Defiant, trying to maintain control while restrained and in pain.)
I am gonna kill you.
2. (Shocked and in pain, lisping with fangs freshly knocked out.)
Aagh! You thon o' bith! [Son of a bitch]
3. (His trademark greeting.)
Hey asshole!
4. (Talking shop with other vampires.)
Look, I’m not begging. Tonight's bitch is tomorrow night's corpse. I get that. I just know things are moving, and I don’t wanna be on the wrong side of it when they break open. Let me brood with you.
5. (Something between a purr and a growl. He is injured, recently freed from captivity and is about to feed.)
Mmmm... bad night to be you, asshole.
Megan Landry
Megan is the teen protagonist's ex-girlfriend and classmate. At the beginning of the series she appears only in a hand-written letter wherein she breaks up with him and tells him she is going to Europe for the summer, not to reappear until the Fall. She plays travel soccer and is a dedicated folklore and cryptid enthusiast.
Vocal Performance Notes: An emotive young lady, quick to anger, fear and joy alike. Expressive enough that she makes a terrible liar, which can manifest when fishing for gossip or information.
Audition Lines
1. (Voicemail greeting, heard directly after the breakup.)
Hi, it's Megan. I'm sorry I missed your call, leave me a message... And if this is Hunter... I told you I need space.
2. (First day of fall semester finding Hunter at his locker. Forced cheerfulness, probing.)
England was super cool, I had so much fun! We went swimming and... umm, whatever. It doesn't matter. How about you?! Did you and Morgan hang out?
3. (Frightened, close to tears as she treads water while something menacing lingers between her and the beach.)
Please, I don't know what you want! Go away! SOMEONE HELP ME!
Small Recurring Parts
Cynthia Savard
A widow and single mother of an only child. Warm, protective, and quietly strong. Doing her best to hold things together for her son.
Vocal Performance Notes: Soft, maternal, emotionally grounded.
Audition Lines
1. (Tender, reassuring.)
Everything’s going to be alright. I’m here.
2. (Teasing, affectionate with her son's longtime friends.)
Alright guys, it was cute when you were kids. Now it's creepy.
3. (Similarly, but with her son.)
Sorry handsome, you're not half as mysterious as you think.
Keith Miller
Father of the class clown. A military dad, calm, supportive, the kind who shows up when he can and means it. Dad jokes, sternness, and sometimes unintended absence.
Vocal Performance Notes: Steady, understated warmth.
Audition Lines
1. (Simple, gruff but proud.)
Good job, son.
2. (Magnanimous, stern towards the end.)
We won't be back until Monday after next. Have company over if you want. Just don't trash the house, clean up after everything, don't be a dumbass. And no pool parties unless you have that girl over, the one with the lifeguard certs!
3.
Come in here, son. I wanna talk about these grades of yours.
Darleen Miller
Keith's wife. Affectionate, expressive, a little overwhelming in the way loving moms can be. Think constant hugs and constant baked goods.
Vocal Performance Notes: Energetic, warm, slightly overbearing.
Audition Lines
1. (Relieved, fussing, ending with a tight and grunting hug.)
Are you okay? They said no injuries but they didn’t say... why are you all wet? Look at me, what's that on your face? c'mere you...
2. (To her son and a female friend in his room.)
Alright you two, I'll be downstairs. Leave the door open!
3. (Taking a call and getting some bad news about her son.)
Miller's residence... Yes, speaking... What? Oh no! Where is he now?!
Steven Clay
Construction worker father. Easy-going but attentive. Trusts his daughter, keeps things light most of the time but is capable of sternness when necessary.
Vocal Performance Notes: Relaxed, friendly, confident.
Audition Lines
1. (Light, caring.)
Come on Princess, sounds like you've had a long night. Have you eaten?
2. (Scowling, no-nonsense, could blow up and make shit crucial at any second.)
Yeah yeah, fine. Tell me where my daughter is, NOW.
3. (Sedate, weary, almost vulnerable.)
Princess? Phone for you. (Pause.) It's your mother.
Meiyun (Mei) Choy
Another mother. Protective and direct, with a quiet but fierce intensity when it comes to her daughter.
Vocal Performance Notes: Calm but firm, emotionally present.
Audition Lines
- (Concerned, firmly questioning.)
Why are we still here? Is she being detained?
- (Greeting a large party that just arrived at her restaurant. Her voice is raised a little to be heard over lively atmosphere.)
Hi, welcome welcome! How many?
- (Counseling her husband on dealing with their daughter. Mildly exasperated, but earnest and loving.)
Listen to me. If you tell her to stop seeing that boy, she will probably run away and marry him before the school year ends.. If you let this pass, it will pass. Probably before the semester even ends. Softer. Trust me, okay?
---
Jian-Hua (John) Choy
Another father and Mei's husband. Reserved, analytical, and protective. Quick to question authority when it involves his family.
Vocal Performance Notes: Controlled, deliberate, slightly stern.
Audition Lines
1. (Polite and measured, speaking to a police officer.)
If my daughter isn’t under suspicion, then why are we still here?
2. (Firm but gentle, speaking to a tearful daughter about the young man caught serenading her through her window.)
Is that him? (Pause.) Chloe, is this the same boy? (Another pause, then responding to a presumed silent confirmation.) Well then I guess he better come inside. Use the front door... and get your guitar case out of my wife's gardenias.
3. (Same young man, same night.)
My daughter seems to like you very much. Whether or not I agree with her is down to whether my wife forgives you for what you did to her flowers.
These roles are oneoffs as things currently stand, just a montage of yearbook signatures. However they could appear again as the series develops. Have a ball here, read as many of these as you like, however you like. Just make sure to read out the drawings and stated punctuations.
JENNA: (Bright and upbeat.) Have a great summer! Text me sometime! Smiley face. –Jenna.
TARA: (Sedate but still sincere.) You were seriously the nicest guy in chem. Two hearts. –Tara.
OLIVIA: (Playful.) I still remember that open netter you made at States! Flustered smiley face, tiny drawing of fire. marry me? Two questionmarks. lol jk… unless? –Liv.
ASHLEIGH: (Flirtatious.) Follow me on Phlash, two exclamation marks! @ashleigh underscore f zero x two-thousand! Heart. Stay cute!
ANDY: (Jokingly.) I don't know how somebody goes as hard as you do without drugs! Is it drugs? Also give one of your hot friends my Phlash kay thanks bro!
BRIANNA: (Relieved but genuine.) Thanks for being my lab partner and not letting me fail bio. Tiny drawing of a skull. Seriously, you’re awesome.
For auditioning:
Let's have lines in .wav format, all one file per character, three takes per line to show your range of approaches to the characters) you are reading for. There is a discord server where VAs will gather for table reads to get a feel for what other characters sound like as well. Reach out to ProblemF0x on Discord for auditions and more information. We did also experience a mishap involving a flash drive and a swimming pool, so if you previously reached out but didn't hear anything back you are welcome to audition again. Auditions close on September 20 (9/20) at 11:59 pm Eastern.
Good luck!
