Unexpected Joy

JOY – A baby boomer of great warmth and exuberance. She is a folk/rock star from the late sixties and beyond. An off-beat bohemian who has always marched to the beat of her own drum, she is at a major turning point after losing her songwriting and life partner.

RACHEL – Joy’s daughter, who rebelled against her parents’ hippie- musician, free-love lifestyle and married a televangelist on whose show she frequently sings. She has kept her distance from her mother and is sincere about her faith and raising her daughter in it. She always tries to personify the joy Jesus has brought into her life.

TAMARA – Rachel’s daughter, who has just graduated from high school. She has started writing and performing her own music, which she won’t share with her mother because it’s not at all what her parents feature on their TV show. She adores her grandmother and dreams of being a professional musician. Like all teenagers yearning to break free; she can be snippy with her mother.

LOU – Joy’s “unexpected” girlfriend. An African-American blues and R&B singer who records on an independent label. An unapologetic lesbian and activist, she wants Joy to marry her partly to make a political statement. She is outspoken, sometimes outrageous, and eager to call it like she sees it.