Open Roles in "The Story" Shorts

"KARUPY" short. Shoots October 5th - 6th 2024. Tamil. A striking dark-skinned woman with a coarse demeanor, garbed in regal silks, grapples with deep-seated resentment and mental health struggles. She's complex, and sharp-tongued, and uses her status as a matriarch to manipulate those around her. She embodies strength and fragility at the same time. She has a strained relationship with her daughter and a haunting connection to her deceased father. LEAD. MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK TAMIL FLUENTLY!

"KARUPY" short. Shoots October 5th - 6th 2024. Tamil. Karupy's daughter. Poised but conflicted about her relationship with her mother. She’s a woman trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy while dealing with the chaos her mother creates. She's frustrated with Karupy's behavior and struggles to balance care with a resentment that’s due to years of manipulation and neglect. LEAD. (Fluency in the language not as important- but should be able to speak/understand).

"KARUPY" short. Shoots October 5th - 6th 2024. Tamil. Empathetic husband to Jeya, he strives to mediate the fraught relationship between mother and daughter. He also harbors secrets, including his own struggles with depression and emotional isolation, which fuels his understanding of Karupy's struggle. LEAD. MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK TAMIL FLUENTLY!

"KARUPY" short. Shoots October 5th - 6th 2024. To play younger, Tamil. Jeya and Arjun's daughter. She has a unique relationship with her grandmother, sharing a cigarette and discussing Karupy's suicide plans. Vaish is is an unfiltered, rebellious young teenager. Her perspective adds a layer of complexity to the family dynamics, as she seeks to understand the weight of her grandmother's choices. LEAD. (Ability to speak Tamil a plus, does not need to be fluent)

"KARUPY" short. Shoots October 5th - 6th 2024. Tamil. Thinesh is the mischievous nephew whose antics often mask deeper insecurities. His playful demeanor and penchant for trouble are overshadowed by a bizarre fascination with a painting of his grandfather, which he believes speaks to him. LEAD. (Fluency in the language not as important- but should be able to speak/understand).

"QUEEN MOTHER"short. Shoots October 20th - 21st 2024. Lead. Filipina. Dolores is a woman with warm and expressive eyes and a kind smile that often hides the weariness etched into her face. Her hair, usually tied back in a practical bun, is peppered with strands of gray, a testament to the years she has spent caring for others. She has a sturdy build, shaped by a life of hard work and resilience. Preference for someone who can speak Tagalog and/or other Filipino dialects.

"QUEEN MOTHER"short. Shoots October 20th - 21st 2024. Lead. (Open to Transgender submissions), Filipino. Isaac is a young man in his mid-20s with striking, angular features and a lean, athletic build that he maintains for his performances. His dark, expressive eyes are framed by long lashes, often accentuated by makeup, reflecting his bold personality. He keeps his hair short and stylish, in contrast to the array of wigs he uses for his drag shows.

"IT WAS YOU". Shoots October 16th - 17th 2024. To play younger, white. Lauren is our protagonist. She is curious, compassionate and intelligent. Although she is generally outgoing and confident, sometimes in this group of friends she can become overwhelmed and gives into their peer pressure easily. She is constantly fighting an internal battle of self-doubt, insecurity and denial over what her relationships with the others truly mean.

"IT WAS YOU". Shoots October 16th - 17th 2024. To play younger, Mixed Race. Cody is Lauren’s boyfriend but is secretly involved with Nicole. He is a complicated, immature teenage boy with extreme emotions. He is portrayed as somewhat carefree and unimpressed by the supposed powers of the Ouija board at first, but quickly becomes defensive and angry when his secret is about to be exposed. Cody’s role requires an actor who can transition from playful and charming to aggressive and panicked.

"IT WAS YOU". Shoots October 16th - 17th 2024. SUPPORTING. To play younger, Filipina/Asian. Jasmine is Lauren’s closest friend. She is generally very straightforward in how she speaks, but underneath her genuine care for her friends and love for fun she inhabits a more complex, conflicted conscience. Throughout the night, Jasmine plays along and appears as only a bystander to the drama that unfolds.

"IT WAS YOU". Shoots October 16th - 17th 2024. SUPPORTING. To play younger. Nicole is one of Lauren's closest friends. She is sassy, confident, a risk taker. Her main goal in all things is to have as much fun as possible. She is romantically involved with Cody, unbeknownst to Lauren. Nicole is complex, juggling both the fear and adrenaline of bearing this secret, which eventually culminates in her admission of her involvement with Cody.

"IT WAS YOU". Shoots October 16th - 17th 2024. SUPPORTING. To play younger, Black. Anthony is part of the friend group and is portrayed as more cautious and grounded. He is funny and a joker, but also very genuinely caring. Anthony is in the process of figuring out his sexual identity, having shared with Lauren his questioning of whether he is queer, something he hasn’t shared with the rest of the group.

"SAM FAM". Shoots October 24th - 25th 2024. LEAD. The brains behind her family’s social media channel. Mom is a woman a little too aware of how she may be perceived, likely because their audience holds her to a different standard than the rest of the family. Wexton doesn’t seem to be as interested as he once was, and while he’s scratching at an allergic reaction.

"SAM FAM". Shoots October 24th - 25th 2024. LEAD. After over a decade, Dad still hasn’t gotten used to toeing the line between parent and producer. Mom started a successful social media channel about raising their son, Wexton, which the family soon started pursuing full time, but Dad is trying his best to contribute in an environment that could still run successfully without him.

"THE TRIAL". Shoots October 9th - 10th 2024. LLead. South Asian/Middle Eastern. Charming, vibrant, courageous, and carries an inherent sense of self worth. Leila oftenmasks any insecurities and doubts behind a carefully maintained facade of distance and detachment. She sometimes operates with a single-minded focus on achieving her goals, often crossing moral boundaries in the process. Despite this, she is empathetic and aware of the subtleties in her environment.

"THE TRIAL". Shoots October 9th - 10th 2024. LEAD. Quiet and introspective, Jack's demeanor exudes a gentle, almost fragile innocence. His meek and reserved nature makes him easily influenced by others. His inability to project strength or command authority remains a significant source of insecurity for him. Despite his tendency to yield rather than assert himself, Jack possesses a deep sensitivity beneath his unassuming exterior.

"THE TRIAL". Shoots October 9th - 10th 2024. LEAD. Arash is a self-assured and sometimes intimidating figure characterized by his gripping presence and confident demeanor. This boldness is accompanied by an openness and intrigue towards other people and their troubles. His lack of concern for his own ego comes off as stoic.