Washington Irving‘s Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been told and retold in many different ways. It was first written as one of many short stories in a collection: The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. From there, it transformed time and time again. There was an opera, a short-lived Broadway musical, comics, radio shows, TV series, and even dozens of movies (starting in 1922!). The tale of a spectral horseman haunting a town in upstate New York has found rather long legs.

Surprisingly, we didn’t find any examples of stage adaptations. So, we wrote our own.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead.

Our Sleepy Hollow: The Hex of the Headless Horseman (the name was changed a bit to create a uniquely copywritable title) is a 3-act play with a cast of 9 to 11 actors and actresses. It takes a few elements from various different interpretations of the classic tale, and spins them together in a way that is different from any other you’ve yet seen. Much of the original source material (and lovely, evocative language) is retained, but with a more modern paradigm. We remixed it for you.

The Hex of the Headless Horseman asks tough questions. Is the ghostly Horseman real? Is someone using the local legend for their own ends? Porque No Los Dos?

Character Breakdown

The ages and genders of these characters are merely suggestions. They are not set in stone. Please don’t let anything we’ve written say “Oh, they’re not looking for someone like me”. If you want to audition – we can only urge you to reach for the stars!

ICHABOD CRANE: Young optimistic school teacher from Pennsylvania. Mid-20s to mid-30s, male. Tall and lanky. Gaunt & skilled at physical comedy would be a plus.

KATRINA VAN TASSEL: Small town girl with aspirations to see the world. 20s to 30s, female. Bookish with a hidden core of strength.

ABRAHAM “BROM BONES” VAN BRUNT: Egotistical manly-man, charmer, and storyteller. Mid 20s to mid 40s, male. Broad-shouldered with a commanding presence.

BAULTUS VAN TASSEL: Katrina’s father and prominent citizen of the town. 40s to 60s, male. Successful businessman of the era, probably slightly portly.

ANTJI: Witchey, subversive, somewhat unsettling woman. 40s to 60s, female. If Stevie Nicks really let herself go.

HEADLESS HORSEMAN: Tall imposing figure with no head (Actual missing head would be a plus, but not a requirement). Any age or gender. May be dual cast with Hans Van Ripper.

HANS VAN RIPPER: 40’s to 60’s, male. Local farmer with workers hands and imposing presence.

SHERIFF REINHART: 30’s to 50’s, male. Grizzled lawman who is completely out of his depth with facing the supernatural. May be dual cast with Deitrich Knickerbocker.

DEITRICH KNICKERBOCKER: 40’s to 70’s, male.Small town school teacher. A portly florid-faced man. Slightly disheveled.

MISTRESS BERLIN: 40’s to 60’s, female. Colonial MILF. May be dual cast with Barkeep.

BARKEEP: Silent townsperson. Could be any age or gender.

We are planning to have a staged readthrough of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Hex of the Headless Horseman on October 30th, 2022 at MainStage Irving-Las Colinas. The readthrough will be free with ticket stub for anyone who comes to see our revival of Children of the Night (which ends that weekend), and additional tickets will be available at the door.