ANNA – 40s; an astronomer; intelligent and intense; moves from extreme self-confidence to extreme vulnerability in course of play. The role requires vocal and physical stylization plus the ability to convey a wide range of emotions.
DANIEL – 30s; Anna’s live-in lover, younger than she by 5 years; opera singer, baritone (*see note below); warm, outgoing, playful, loving, and sensual.
JENNIFER – 16; Anna’s daughter; bright, sarcastic, self-dramatizing and tender-hearted - a very contemporary teen-ager.
BILL – 45-60; Anna’s astronomer colleague; socially clumsy but imaginative and charismatic in the classroom.
SPEECH THERAPIST (And other Female Roles) – 30’s-50’s; Articulate; patient; empathic; skilled in active listening. Versatility and a flair for creating a variety of convincing characters are essential to the role.
APHASIC PATIENT and other male roles (including young man at dance) - 25-35; the role requires improvisatory skills, vocal calisthenics and ease with on-naturalistic performance styles.
* Because DANIEL is an opera singer, it is ideal to cast an actor with a fine voice so that his career seems credible. However, it is even more important to have an excellent actor in the role so if a choice is necessary, please consider the acting requirements over the vocal ones: tapes can, if necessary, be used as support, enhancement or substitutes. And except for the “Papageno” aria in Scene 9, all other music sung by DANIEL can be selected by the actor and director.