DON – Early 60s. White. Head of school. A calming presence. Has worked hard to become the man he is. From New England, moved to Berkeley in the mid-80s chasing the last gasp of hippie-dom. Started in education as a music teacher, and on difficult days fantasizes about going back to it. Has lived with his partner in the same rented in-law unit for 25 years. She makes pottery. They do silent meditation retreats at Esalen three times a year. No kids.
SUZANNE – Mid-50s. White. Warm and gracious. Moved to Berkeley after college when her then-boyfriend now-husband started graduate school at
UC Berkeley. Raising her family and nurturing the school are her life’s work and fully entwined. Once her youngest was in school, she started working part-time as a life coach after being encouraged to it by so many friends who she’d helped through difficult times. Has a home worth four million dollars (though she’ll tell you it was much much much cheaper when they bought it), but thinks of
herself as “comfortable” rather than “wealthy.” Mother of Sebastian, Arlo, Izzy, Juniper, Tompkins, and Walden.
CARINA – Early 40s, Black or biracial. A joiner. Her parents were in the Foreign Service. She grew up overseas and had gone to eight different schools by the time she graduated from high school. This made her skilled at landing in a new environment, figuring out the rules, and putting other people at ease. Her wife is from Berkeley and always wanted to come back, so they moved nine months ago from the East Coast. Isn’t sure how much she loves living here, but is working hard to convince herself she does, because her wife never wants to leave. She’s worked for nonprofits her whole professional life, so has spent A LOT of time in board meetings. And dealing with well-intentioned white people. Mother of Victor.
MEIKO – Mid-30s, Biracial Japanese/White (describes herself as Hapa). Berkeley native. Wry sense of humor. Went to UC Berkeley and has never lived anywhere else, or wanted to. A landscape architect, which she’s good at but a little bored by. A year after the end of a tortured on-again off-again eight-year relationship, became a single mother by choice, of Olivia. When her daughter was young, Meiko’s mother was effectively a co-parent, but less so now. Would like to have another child, but feels like she’s too old to think about doing it alone, again.
ELI – Mid-30s, White. Jewish or half-Jewish. Oblivious but well-meaning. From Southern California, went to Stanford and then straight into working at a tech start-up. Cashed out three years ago, and has been in search of how to occupy his time and exercise his mind. An expert pickler, competitive rock climber, manager of family wealth. Went through an intense Ayn Rand phase in college, which now fills him with shame, but which he has also never fully shaken. When he and his wife first decided to open up their marriage, they spent many hours in therapy making sure they were approaching it in a thoughtful and intentional way. But that was a long time ago. Father of Tobias.
WINTER – 30s–50s, Person of Color. A parent. This is a walk-on role with no lines. Can be played by an understudy or production assistant.