It’s 1870 in the town of Dead Man, Kansas, USA. There’s a big crowd whoopin’ it up in Dead Man’s Saloon. The clock on the wall shows high noon, but then, it always does. All at once, word spreads that there’s going to be a shootout on Main Street. The crowd rushes outside to watch, but the street is deserted. Suddenly, two shots ring out from behind them, inside the saloon.
When the crowd hurries back in, they find the dead body of Deputy Drinkwater, shot through the heart. Somebody must have stayed behind to do the evil deed. Was it One-Eyed Pete, the black-hatted outlaw? Or Patty Petticoat, the saloon dancer with the mysterious past? Or Waylin Straum, the singing cowpuncher?
Who knows, pardner? Maybe it was...
Female. She’s a travelling sharpshooter, one of the best in the business. She’s made a reputation for herself performing in several touring circuses. She’s a tomboy who doesn’t really care too much about her appearance but she’s very confident. She knows how good she is and brags about it a lot. Only one person has ever beaten her and only because she let him.
Female. She was a respectable lady but ran away from her wealthy but bullying father who was trying to force her to marry another wealthy landowner and became a Stagecoach robber instead. She’s feisty, fiercely independent and doesn’t work well in a team. Don’t treat her like a delicate flower because she takes no nonsense from anyone and will beat you down if she doesn’t shoot you first if you try and control her.
Male, he’s not very smart and he’s not very brave, he came out west to try and make a living for himself. He wanted to be a farmer but knew nothing about farming and all his crops died so he decided to try being rancher, but he couldn’t keep his cattle under control, and they all got lost. In the end, he found more success in a gang of outlaws.
Male, Owner of the Buffalo Bob Travelling Wild West Show. He’s an older gentleman and is full of fatherly advice that no one really wants to hear. However, he’s a very good entertainer but can be quite a ruthless businessman. He knows what sells, what makes money and what doesn’t and won’t put up with any nonsense. He’s in Dead Water looking for new places to tour with his show but doesn’t like what he sees so far.
Female. A cowgirl, a bit of an exaggerator whose very fond of telling stories about her crazy adventures where she’s usually the hero who saved the day. She’s a good shooter and a good rider but not the best at being girly, in fact she hates it and would much prefer to be a man. She dresses and acts like a man and can hold her own against one. However, she can be quite clumsy and is always running into things and cursing about it.
Male, He’s a Train engineer, responsible for making sure everything is running smoothly. He acts like he’s very confident and irresistibly handsome, but his past has left him feeling very insecure about a lot of things. He can be quiet in large groups, afraid of looking like a fool, but with a few drinks in him, he’s can charm the stockings off anyone and frequently does.
Female, she’s smart and sassy and knows how to hold her own. She has to in a town like Dead Man. She’s the current Saloon Owner, having acquired it recently from its previous owners and turned it into a busy place where everyone comes to have a good time. She’s very chatty and likes to know everyone’s secret. She is very good at getting them out of people.
Gender open. Travelling Snake Oil salesperson, they travel from town to town trying to sell their dodgy products. They’re slick and deceitful. These skills were taught to them from a young age. They’re part of a special group who gain money, power and followers by manipulating people and convincing them to support the growing “business”.
Male. He’s a Professional gambler, known for being very lucky and often winning his games. He’s very smooth, flirty and charming, he knows how to manipulate people into believing what he says. He claims to be from England and his accent is very strong, however, it works to his advantage over in the States because people think he’s honest and the ladies love it.
Male, works in the dirt all day as a Gold Miner, he spends a lot of time on his own and it’s made him a bit crazy. When he’s in the company of others, he can talk too much to make up for him having been alone for so long. He doesn’t frame his words very well because he’s not used to talking with people and this can make him seem stupid but he’s very smart and knows about some very dangerous things.
Male. He’s an outlaw and also the leader of the gang, they’re known and wanted all across the country for their crimes, trains and stagecoaches fear them because people often end up dead. He’s bad-tempered and will only tell you once before things get violent. He wears an eyepatch and the story about how he got it changes every time he tells it.
Female She’s the new Saloon dancer. No one really knows where she came from but she’s pretty and she can dance. She knows how to charm and is very flirty and sexual. She keeps her true story hidden but because she’s always dropping subtle hints about her very mysterious past, she keeps people guessing and keeps people coming back for more. If they ask too many questions or get closer to the truth, then she can get a bit defensive.
Male. He’s a cowboy—best rider, best shooter, best looking. He’s a bit arrogant but that doesn’t stop people throwing themselves at him. He travels from town to town, never staying very long in one place. He crashes onto the scene, gets in a few fights, breaks a few hearts and is gone before anyone realizes. He’s been stuck in Dead Water a bit longer than he hoped though.
Gender open. They’re the bartender at the Saloon. People come from all over to drink in their bar and tell all of their tragic tales. There’s not much they haven’t seen or heard. The Wild West is a very dark and dangerous place and they’ve come to always expects the worst. They’ve even started predicting what will happen and when it does, it just proves how bad everything really is.
Gender open. Grew up in a traveling carnival where they learnt how to shuffle and deal cards, perform tricks and use sleight of hand. Now out on their own, they work as the Card Dealer in the Saloons, running the Poker games. They’ve started using those some skills to the unfair advantage of certain players—they’re quick and sly and will rig a game if they’re paid enough to do so.
Female, saloon singer, French. Each day is a struggle, however, having a beautiful voice meant that she could make a living from singing. She hoped to go into thse theatre, but no one would take her there so instead she makes her way ‘round the saloon bars. Her mother returned to France a few years ago leaving her alone and her father was never around. She has abandonment issues and tends to sing sad songs and drown her sorrows in booze—she longs for freedom.
Gender open. They’re the Piano Player in the saloon bar. Their dream is to become a classical musician and become world renown, but getting out of Dead Man is proving a little more difficult than expected. They’re very good at piano and they know it. They think they’re better than the people in this town and have an air of arrogance and entitlement about them that’s out of place in a dirty run down town in the wild west.
Gender open. Singing cowpuncher, always tries to remain cheerful and positive. The open road, a loyal steed and a guitar is all they need to be happy. Life can get a bit hard sometimes never knowing where your next meal is coming from and they have dreams. They were hoping to get a job in a travelling Wild West show. They came to Dead Man to audition for a show, but their plans were sabotaged. However, they ride hard and fast and are skilled enough with a rifle that they can fix most problems one way or another.
Gender open. They’re a Stagecoach driver, most of the time is spent on the road. They’re one of the best around and know how to use a gun quite well. They’re suspicious of everyone and trusts no one. They believe that everyone is a bandit or crook out to get them. They’re not local, they’re on a mission, travelling up and down the country trying to find information on the whereabouts of a long lost relative.
Female—she’s a Saloon dancer and one of the best. Crowds come from all over to watch her dance and perform. She’s beautiful and she knows it, very charming and flirty with a lot of admirers. She can’t stop talking about Texas, where she claims she’s from but she’s very reluctant to talk about her actual past and her family and is sometimes very over the top in her accent, tone and comments, almost as if it was an act.
As a character, you will have a script, this script will contain certain things you say if you are the murderer and something else if you are not. The murderer will be decided on and full scripts will be given the night of the play. Please only sign up if you know you will be available since once you sign up for a character, that choice is off the table. Any questions, please talk to scratz 817-939-7281. Let's have some real fun with this!! :) <3