Reverie Fey
Award-Winning Writer
Queen of the Nerds
“Monkey Business”
Staged Reading Casting Call
We are looking for 11-12 actors for a staged reading of “Monkey Business” a new action, romantic stoner comedy screenplay in South Austin at Kick Butt Coffee on Saturday, September 26 at 1 – 3:30pm. This is an exciting industry event following Fantastic Film Fest hosted by The Alamo Drafthouse. Deadline for submissions September 18.
Monkey Business
When the stoned owner of a failing Austin guitar shop receives Stevie Ray Vaughan’s missing guitar and a kilo of meth from his murdered best friend, he must outmaneuver the Mexican drug cartel and an FBI conspiracy, all while romancing a desperate documentarian, keeping his drunk pet monkey in line, and riding one hell of an acid trip.
“Raising Arizona” meets “The Hangover Part 2” with homage to Tarantino’s earlier works
Rated R
Must be 18+ to audition, will consider younger/older actors for each role.
Disclaimer: Some scenes in this screenplay use obscene profanity, portray drug use, intense gun violence, and implied abuse against women, minorities and animals. If you are triggered by the above, this is not the project for you. However, if you like rooting for the underdog (and his monkey), enjoy watching marginalized kick ass women and teen boys rise up and defeat racist, misogynistic evil drug lords, we look forward to seeing your audition.
Cast Breakdown for “Monkey Business”
Narrator / Wicked Scene Transition Reader (Male / Female / Nonbinary/ Trans / All ages and backgrounds) MOST IMPORTANT ROLE
We’re looking for an energetic voiceover actor(s) to read all the scene transitions and action while also voicing the small under five roles throughout the script. This high energy performer needs the voice acting range from Samuel L. Jackson to Dame Judi Dench to various larger-than-life smaller roles. Prototype: virtuoso audiobook voice actor Jeff Hays from “Dungeon Crawler Carl.”
RAY “RAGDOLL” DELANEY (male, Caucasian, late 40s) LEAD
A former never-was-been 90s rock star, is our stoner underdog hero. This skinny, unshaven, cute in an aging punk rock kind of way dude is targeted by the FBI, the Mexican drug cartel and his arch nemesis Ranger Buckley when Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Stratocaster turns up on his doorstep. Everyone is all in on a hot high-speed chase to arrest him or kill him—and Ray hasn’t even smoked a joint yet! He still wears ska pants, last week's tee-shirt, and a wallet chain even though it’s no longer the 90s. A Steven Dorff type.
HAZEL TOSH (female, Caucasian, late 30s) LEAD
A down on her luck, brilliant documentarian recently blacklisted in Hollywood due to calling out her boss/boyfriend for his sexual misconduct on the set. A sharp eyed, sarcastic, beautiful, young-looking, rock chick, Hazel is just on the cusp of making a comeback, if only Ray is willing to sign up for the documentary of a lifetime and an unexpected romance. Millennial-wing makeup, red lipstick, rock band tee-shirt. Look alike: a 90s era Sean Yseult from White Zombie.
AGENT CAMILA DOMINGUEZ (female, Black/Latina, 40s) SUPPORTING
Actors of all gender expression and sexual orientation encouraged to audition.
A first generation American with a Dominican background. A calm, reserved, yet meticulous FBI agent; solidly built and lovely. She was recently overlooked for the promotion as assistant special agent by her rival Agent Whitlock Monroe and is on a mission to unveil his shady activities, yet unaware of the extent of it all. She has a soft spot for kids and looks out for the teenaged cartel kids Carlos and Pablo. She is a lesbian in a long-term marriage, but keeps her personal life private. Will consider an actor from Mexico/South America/Puerto Rico/Africa Prototype: Dania Ramirez / Michelle Rodriguez
AGENT JENNA CLARKE (female/Caucasian/all backgrounds, 40s) SUPPORTING
A new FBI agent, who is driven, hungry, sharp, quick to conclusions and ready to make a name for herself. She is a loyal co-worker and friend to Agent Dominguez. This mother of three boys is a take charge kind of women who doesn’t like taking orders from men, but knows how to tell them what to do. Having said that, she knows how to laugh at herself. She’s the kind of smart women you want on your team. A tall, red head who is often labeled as attractive rather than smart, but she won’t let you get away with it. Think, Lara Prepon.
JOSE VASQUEZ III AKA EL JEFE (male, Latino, late 50s) SUPPORTING
The psychotically terrifying Mexican cartel boss of the new generation of “Los Tigres,” always armed and extremely dangerous. When he’s not snorting lines of his own product, he constantly insults everyone around him with his foul language and homophobia. He is insanely obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan. He will stop at nothing to get Stevie Ray’s legendary guitar, putting everything and everyone on the line, including his loveably clueless teenaged nephews. Dresses in North Mexican/Tejano style cowboy attire. Imagine a laughable “Tuco” Raymond Cruz from “Breaking Bad.”
AGENT WHITLOCK MONROE (male, Caucasian, late 50s) SUPPORTING
A womanizing, rude, brash, overbearing personality type. He thinks he’s a gift to all women and flaunts his good looks. Although, he looks good in his jeans, Agent Clarke is not fooled by him. Agent Dominguez is determined to take him down after years of being one-upped by his games and manipulation. Quite possibly the most corrupt FBI Agent in the country and uses his swagger to get what he wants. Ideal casting: Matthew McConaughey playing the good-looking bad guy.
SKINNY (male, any race/ethnicity, 60s) SUPPORTING
A thin man with kind eyes and Ray’s loyal yet mysterious best friend. The sort of person who looked like he'd wandered out of a Grateful Dead show parking lot; totally old school Austin. Worked at Whole Foods as a vegan food brand manager, or did he? Skinny was murdered only a week before our plot unfolds. We see him in Ray’s flashbacks and in his vivid acid trip. He lives in tie-dye shirts from the actual 60s and sandals. If Willie Nelson and Cheech Marin had a duo-clone it would be Skinny.
CARLOS aka “SKITTLES” VASQUEZ (male /LatinX/Gender Fluid/Gay 17) SUPPORTING
Actors of all gender expression and sexual orientation encouraged to audition.
18 OR OLDER TO PLAY YOUNGER
El Jefe’s older, prettier, gay nephew. El Jefe crushed Carlos’s big dreams of being in the ballet. He is constantly standing like a model, walking like he's on the catwalk, showcasing his dancer build. He picks on his younger cousin for being a dork, but in a loving way. He is terrified of his Uncle Jefe and silently eats Skittles, picking out the green ones, as a silent protest to the drug world he’s forced to be involved in. Carlos wears a light-colored suit, a flashback to the 80s, a pink tie with a discreet rainbow pocket square, his hair is immaculate. A sweet kid forced into a malicious evil man’s-man world with no hope of getting out—or coming out.
PABLO aka “EL POCO POLLO” CASTANEDA (male/Latino/16) SUPPORTING
18 OR OLDER TO PLAY YOUNGER
Obviously terrified of his uncle, hence his nick name, he reeks of nerd-dom while trying to be poised like his cousin. He is obsessed with video games and wanted to be a video game designer until his dreams were crushed. Now he drives for the cartel, thinking he’s playing a video game while risking his life. He constantly Googles random bits of useless information on his cell phone and never shuts up. The poor kid would rather be a true geek than be a gangster; but lies to himself. He sports a dark double-breasted suit from the 80s with funky socks, he's got an "Edgar" haircut with bangs and a constant bedhead.
RANGER MORGAN BUCKLEY (male/Caucasian, 60s) SUPPORTING
A mythic, mustachioed, real-deal east Texas Ranger, the fastest shot in the west and Ray’s absolute worst nightmare. This steadfast ranger has not let up on Ray since his arrest for small time drug dealing back in the late 90s. When he turns up on the scene, Ray thinks it’s all over. But Buckley ends up teaming up with Ray and Hazel and nearly steals every scene while the romance between Ray and Hazel develops. Dressed like a Marlboro ad from the 1970s, his cowboy hat is almost bigger than he is. This scene-chewer role is ideal for a Woody Harrelson type.