Casting “Casa Valentina,” a story set in 1962, when most men went to the Catskills to escape the summer heat, but others took the two-hour drive to escape something else entirely: being men. Nestled in the land of dirty dancing and borscht belt comedy sat an inconspicuous bungalow colony that catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men whose favorite pastime was dressing and acting as women. It was paradise for these men—white-collar professionals with families—to spend their weekends discreetly and safely inhabiting their chosen female alter egos. But when faced with the opportunity to become an official organization, these “self-made women” had to decide whether public recognition would help them gain a place in open society or spell their own personal disaster.
Roles:
George/Valentina : Male, 40-49 Married to Rita, with whom runs Casa Valentina; an insurance salesman type as a man, strong and poised as a woman; the center of the group; stable and comfortable within the life he’s created for himself, but rattled by the encroaching forces which threaten it; needs an actor with real classical experience (appears in and out of drag).
The Judge/Amy : Male, 60-69 A regular at Casa Valentina; large and imposing as a man, and a clunky sort of Tug-boat Annie woman; older and more repressed than most of the others; we watch his transformation (appears in and out of drag).
Charlotte/Isadore : Male, 50-59 The ultimate WASP, a buttoned-down strict disciplinarian; a school marm. Not your favorite aunt; an activist and a snake; opinionated and manipulative; appears in drag only.
Jonathan/Miranda : Male, 20-29 Making his first visit to Casa Valentina, masculine, shy, and bookish; the youngest of the group; a teacher, overly polite and cautious, excited, but frightened and insecure; has never worn women’s clothing in public before (appears in and out of drag).
Albert/Bessie : Male, 50-59 Chubby; Willie Loman by day, Ethel Mertz at night, fixture at Casa Valentina; quick-witted and friendly, fond of quoting Oscar Wilde, unaffectedly feminine; appears in drag only.
Michael/Gloria : Male, 20-29 A regular at Casa Valentina, very handsome and sexually charged chap who is accustomed to compliments whether dressed as a male or female; the most modern and sexual of the group; appears in drag only.
Theodore/Terry : Male 64-80 A regular at Casa Valentina; sweet and gentle and slightly silly like a favorite old auntie, but there’s a hard-won integrity and sense of self underneath; appears in drag only.
Rita : Female, 40-49 Married to George; co-owns and operates Casa Valentina; on the outside, she’s a classy lady who owns a wig shop on 5th Avenue but underneath, she’s a resigned, determined, but worn earth mother; her love of the girls barely covers an inner sadness.
Eleanor : Female, 40-49 The Judge’s daughter; brittle, cold and angry.
Nick Sugar – Director