HOUSEWORLD CHARACTERS
The characters that are closer to the top of this page are likely to be performed first (in early promos and performed demos of the show).
All roles can be played by all genders.
Most performers will start and end the show in their same costume unless noted.
From where we stand, it appears that it will continue to be valuable to have costumes that are washing machine compatible and also that fit many body types. However, this time around we’ll likely be able to afford to make more costumes in advance (for example, we can start the season with a size large Little Jean and a size small Little Jean of the same design.
The photos are merely jumping off points. For example, our Cook in Houseworld 2025 can look more like BOTO’s Anise than they look like 2015’s Cook.
Never, The Monster
We had two very different looking versions of this Monster, and I think the 3rd will look different from both. One element I’m leaning toward is that this Monster will have layers that can fall away from them. Obsid had cancerous bulbs, and likewise this Monster may have them, too.
I’m leaning toward the idea that Never will drink an antidote toward the climax of the show and at this point shed (unbuckle?) arm and leg sleeves and chest pieces of cancerous bulbs, or whatever ugliness we choose to stricken Never with.
Lastly, it’s possible that at this moment, or soon after this moment, Never will discover that the essential Key To The Light has been hidden in their body for eons. Perhaps it is in a black, tennis ball-esque structure with a zipper. Something like that. This moment will also happen with much fanfare.
The Wind
The Wind is a playful pixie spirit creature who dances in the living room. They’re a mime, they mostly can’t speak, except for with the help of the Shell. It would be great if their costume looks awesome when blowing in a powerful fan.
The Wind’s guest costumes
We would love if The Wind could dress guests up in simple, durable costumes that stream and blow when they enter their room, equipped with powerfully blowing fans.
Loren L. DeLune, The Director
Loren directs terrible B-movies at their studio, 22nd Century Faux. None of the actors are showing up, so they recruit the guests to read their scripts. Loren is narcissistic, pompous, pretentious, pathetic, and insufferable.
Reyna in The Red Light District
Reyna runs the red light district of the Basement. Fearless, irreverent, flirtatious, dominating, somewhat nihilistic. Never is in love with Reyna, which Reyna is happy to entertain. Reyna’s interaction with the guests is a delve through the many dimensions of lust.
Dusk, the Greeter
An elegant master of ceremonies that primes the guests on the logistical rules of the show and raises a toast to the night.
After the first 45 minutes, this performer will change out of this costume and become another character, To Be Determined.
Anodyne, The Entry Musician
The audience’s first encounter with the surreal. The centerpiece performer of the waiting chamber. Will likely play the cello with a bow, and the drums. Statuesque. Anodyne’s costume will evolve twice over the course of their set. At one point, they will gain or lose a cape. At another point, they will gain or lose a headpiece.
The Hypnotist
The Hypnotist transitions groups of guests from the Entry Chamber to the House. They are serious, composed, a master of their craft, mysterious, mystical. They dangle a watch, evoking the most familiar hypnotist trope. They will engage the group of guests into a conversation where they speculate about the nature of dreams.
This character does not have to look at all like the Hypnotist in the photo.
Emmett, The Man With Sensitive Ears
Emmett is obsessed with fun and playing their game, Picnic. Beneath Emmett’s playfulness is an underbelly of neglect and selfishness. It’s possible that Emmett’s costume should reference the red and white checkers of picnic (although if this looks horrible, we can skip it). Emmett has sensitive ears, and thus should have their signature thick earmuffs, which they talk on and off.
Although this character will always be gendered male, it will regularly be played by a female in drag.
Olan, The Photographer
Olan will likely be frequently played by young actors (though maybe not all the time), but the young actors will dress up as if they are elderly, with white hair, etc. Olan is a sweet elderly photographer who slowly takes the portrait of guests while reveling in their beauty and speaks in their own old fashioned parlance.
The Rain
The Rain transitions a group of guests from the Entry Chamber into the House. They hold a white umbrella above the guests with symbols drawn on the underside of the umbrella, foreshadowing the characters, themes, and events above the night. The guests choose four of the eight symbols, allowing for a variety of preludes to be delivered by The Rain. The Rain is intimidating, a bit mischievous, and a bit aloof and detached.
The Interviewer (Cyd, Cyan, and Cyrus)
The guest will be whisked through a triptych of scenes, facilitated by the same performer who throws on and off three different facades.
The first scene takes place at a production desk. For about four minutes. The performer plays a slacker production assistant named Cyd working at a daytime talk show (maybe wearing a backwards baseball cap?). The guest is treated as an arrival for the studio audience.
The same performer steps behind a curtain, throws off and on some costumery, and becomes Cyan, the beloved talk show host in the style of Oprah or Ellen (maybe wearing a colored sports coat and wig?). The guest is treated as an uber celebrity.
After another four minutes, the guest is sat upon a leather couch. The performer exits, throws off and on some more costumery, and becomes Cyrus, a psychiatrist in the style of Freud (maybe a tweed jacket, glasses, and a pipe?) for the final four minutes.
Ora, The Servant / Orelia, The Healer
Ora is the humble form of this character. They wash the guest’s hands and induct them into the dream. This scene is where River’s scene originated.
After 45 minutes, Ora enters the house, reunites with their vestments, and becomes a powerful healer, Orelia. We’d like Ora’s moment of placing on their vestments to be performative. One guest will see the transformation take place within a show of lights and sound.
Arnaud, The Cook
The origin character of Anise. Arnaud does not have Anise’s spiritual qualities, or their strange accent. Arnaud is strict, angry, pompous, and feels that they are the lone voice of order within the House.
Zirk, The Bathtub Oracle
In the 2015 show, this was a mostly nude man hanging out in a tub full of water. In the 2024 show, the character will be played by men and women. Their privates will be likely covered, and instead of water, they’ll be underneath something more like tinsel.
Charles N. Yu, The Best Friend
Charles is the most human character in Houseworld. They chill in their room, play video games, read comics, and eat pizza.
The Weevil
The Weevil is the most sadistic character in the House. While Reyna and the Basement appear to be incidentally aligned, the Weevil openly celebrates the baseness of the Basement. They are the most devoted to keeping Never imprisoned and torturing Never if they try to escape. However, no one in the house takes The Weevil very seriously as a villain besides Never. The Weevil is more of a nuisance.
I’d like to base the Weevil on the horns-and-pitchfork idea of The Devil, combined with a Boll Weevil insect.
Amaya, The Angel Of Death
Because they’re coming out of a closet, they may need to have a shorter helmet than the BOTO version. We also may want to reimagine this costume back from BOTO, as singing and playing the harmonium will be so important to this character. Their mouth and eyes should be uncovered, and their helmet shouldn’t be as cumbersome as the sequin monster.
Little Jean in the Balloon Room
Little Jean’s scene is currently very similar to the BOTO scene.
However, there is one important difference. Little Jean’s naive personality is now possessed by Never, The Monster, as it was in 2015. Because Never is naive, Little Jean will be more of a confidant memory authority, and this attribute could feed into their costume (or not).
Officer Nacht
This will be the functional security guard of Houseworld, but also dressed up as loBDud caricature of a security guard. Because there isn’t actually much security work to do in Houseworld, they’ll be spending most of their time doing other stuff. Last time, Officer Nacht performed magic tricks. TBD.
The Succubus
The Succubus is a ghoul that skitters around The Basement, often lounging in Reyna’s tent seeking new playthings. They take their playmates to The Derriere a goth bedroom (blacks and purples) where they stage an eerie erotic scene.
The Succubus will have two costumes that are echoes of each other (perhaps slightly different colors or details). Each involves a pullover robe and a headpiece (a mask or a hat). This allows the Succubus to command: “Take off my mask. Take off my robe. Put on my new robe. Put on my new mask.”
Amaya’s traversal costume
This costume can be extremely simple or an elaborate spectacle, depending on the preference of the designer. Amaya will throw on this layer near the beginning of every show in order to traverse from their first scene in The Basement to their home on the upper floor.
We have no intention for any action or conversation to come from this character, so this limited capacity can influence the design. It might be fun for the early entrants to spy a fascinating spectacle in the halls that is never seen again for the rest of the show.
Entry Chamber staff
Two or three roles will be the most crew-like, the most out-of-world. These are the 1. Coat Check 2. Door Person 3. Bartender in the Entry Chamber. These three roles will exist alongside two thoroughly in-world characters, Dusk the Greeter and Anodyne the musician. These characters may end up being the ones who attend to Anodyne, adding (or taking away) their headdress and cape as the musical set transpires.