Character Synopses

MISERIOUS

Miserious is a thousand years old or so. Eccentric, colorful, secure and dedicated to human happiness, she speaks with a raspy, wide voice with hints of southern gospel, blues and jazz. Sexy, bohemian and classy, she has a playful almost ornery impishness when she’s not being dead serious. Miserious dresses in flowing robes and loud jewelry, and for special occasions she turns it out.

TELOR

Telor is equally old, or so. A commanding figure, with sharp exotic features, he is ambiguously American Indian, part Asian, part black African. He is demure and contemplative, and although he appreciates humor, is rather lacking in it. He dresses in robes of indeterminate origin, more somber than flamboyant. He is enigmatic and profoundly kind.

Miserious and Telor are old compatriots in the quest for human enlightenment who over time have come to disagree about one main issue. They maintain, however, the utmost mutual respect with an underlay of playful yet sincere competition.

GIGI

Gigi, 20, is bright, sophisticated beyond her years, stylish and completely on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She’s forcefully dedicated to political and religious causes and serves as a political strategist for both. Her world is unraveling, however, as she struggles with stress, sleeping disorders and profound emotional conflict. She has a slightly affected speech at times, part of a persona trying desperately to hold things together.

PAUL

Paul, 21, is a rebel finding a cause. Equally passionate, he has always been indifferent, though that is about to change. Nightmares he refuses to accept or confront lead him deeper into a drug induced delirium; extreme emotional shifts cause intermittently seemingly irrational thought and behavior. He is loyal to Gigi, indifferent to Grace, and, usually, politely respectful of the others.

GRACE

Grace lives in the past longing for a cabaret career and young love, both of which she feels abandoned her. Having checked out long ago, she lives out of and in a bottle. The chip on her shoulder supports a shell that while tough at times is also transparent and inconsistent. Early 40ies, still sexy, yet disheveled, she lives in a reality of her own construction. A devoutly religious young girl, she is essentially numb and disillusioned today.

FATHERLIE

Fatherlie, late 50ies, is a man dedicated to doing good. Profoundly kind, compassionate and loving, he holds onto a blind innocence; he is part Santa Claus part Gomer Pile, caricature. Exhausted, he struggles to maintain a level of personal denial combined with sincere hopefulness. His devoutly held belief in God and the church require concessions he cannot consciously reconcile.

STEVE/BARTENDER

Steve’s principles have led him on a quest for enlightenment away from a stable life and any commitment to people or places. Serine yet complex, his mission is to eliminate human ignorance, particularly regarding fables and imaginary ideas like god and religion. Truth is his only loyalty. Children are his cause. He lives in a world in a future he’ll never see, but believes in so strongly he can taste it. Early 40ies, strong, bohemian and steady, he leads by example.

As the bartender he is anonymous and not recognizable as the character Steve who appears mid-show.

CHORUS

The chorus appears in scenes as the neighborhood crowd, virtually always cloaked with hoods, or backs to audience as though generic. Vocally the sound is gospel and rich, yet at times tribal or ethereal. The chorus also sings from the orchestra pit and off stage. Even when on stage, not all members of the chorus need to be on stage. One chorus member delivers the candidates speech, tall, stately, commanding voice, totally anonymous, in silhouette.

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ANOTHER LIFE?

Performances: June 25th - July 12. (except tuesdays).

THEATER THREE
311 W. 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
(Just west of 8th)

Auditions: May 9-10;
Call backs: May 16-17
Rehearsals: May 28-June 24th