Auditions Announced for "Bad Seed" Thriller, First Show of Belfry's 62nd Season

Hamilton County Theatre Guild announces auditions for the first show of The Belfry Theatre’s 62nd season for 2026-27.

“Bad Seed, “ written in 1954 by Maxwell Anderson, is a dark thriller in two acts about evil and its genesis as personified in a young, charming, wholesome girl.

Play director is Matt McKee. The show will feature 12 actors, including four women, seven men and one female youth.

Here’s the skinny:

Auditions: 7 p.m. Sunday, June 28, and Monday, June 29, at Noblesville First United Methodist Church, 2051 Monument St., Noblesville. Please enter Door 2.

What to expect: Actors auditioning will read sides from the script. Please email play director Matt McKee at mckee3515@yahoo.com for the script and sides and with any questions.

Plot: Bad Seed is a suspenseful 1954 play by Maxwell Anderson, based on William March's novel, about a seemingly perfect young girl named Rhoda whose mother suspects she is a ruthless, murderous sociopath, leading to a chilling investigation into whether evil is inherent or can be passed down through generations.

Characters:

Rhoda Penmark
Age: 8–12
An exceptionally polite, intelligent, and seemingly perfect little girl. Beneath her charming exterior is a chilling lack of empathy and a frightening ability to manipulate adults.

Christine Penmark
Age: 30s–40s
Rhoda’s devoted mother, whose growing suspicions about her daughter begin to destroy her sense of security and identity. The role requires emotional depth as Christine moves from loving denial to psychological collapse.

Col. Kenneth Penmark
Age: 35–50
Rhoda’s father and Christine’s husband. Often absent because of military duties, Kenneth represents stability and normalcy, unaware of the darkness developing within his family.

Monica Breedlove
Age: 40s–60s
The Penmarks’ flamboyant landlady and close friend. Monica provides humor and energy throughout the play, though her tendency to laugh things off contrasts sharply with the growing horror around her.

Leroy Jessup
Age: 20s–40s
The apartment handyman who becomes suspicious of Rhoda very early on. His taunting confrontations with her create some of the play’s most suspenseful and dangerous moments.

Reginald Tasker
Age: 40s–60s
A crime writer and amateur criminologist fascinated by hereditary criminal behavior. His conversations with Christine unintentionally push her toward uncovering the truth about Rhoda.

Miss Fern
Age: 30s–60s
Rhoda’s teacher and headmistress of the school. Intelligent and observant, Miss Fern is one of the first adults to openly suspect that Rhoda may have been involved in Claude Daigle’s death.

Hortense Daigle
Age: 35–50
The grieving mother of Claude Daigle, the boy who dies at the school picnic. Consumed by sorrow and alcoholism after his death, she becomes increasingly emotional and desperate for answers.

Mr. Daigle
Age: 35–55
Claude’s quiet and emotionally restrained father. While Hortense openly expresses grief and suspicion, Mr. Daigle internalizes his pain, creating a tense contrast within the family dynamic.

Richard Bravo
Age: 50s–70s
Christine’s adoptive father and a respected crime columnist. His past research into infamous murder cases becomes central to Christine’s terrifying discoveries about her own family history.

Emory Wages
Age: 50s–70s
Monica Breedlove’s brother and a frequent presence around the apartment building. Friendly and somewhat eccentric, he helps flesh out the social world surrounding the Penmarks.

Show dates are Sept. 4-13 at The Cat in Carmel.

“Bad Seed” grew from the novel by William March to the Broadway stage, and later the Academy Award-nominated film “The Bad Seed.”