Characters
Dance Teacher Pat: the head of the dance studio
The girls love him and he uses their admiration to his advantage. He wants the best for them
but often takes it too far, verbally and physically
Amina: the star dancer
She's the best and she and everyone else are aware of the fact
She consistently wins the lead roles in the group dances and is favored by Dance Teacher
Pat, which sometimes causes tension between the girls as well as leading to a need to
constantly be good at everything
She and Zuzu are best friends
Towards the end, starts feeling as if though the girls hate her because she succeeds
Finds it hard to say no to Dance Teacher Pat → Very much a teacher's pet
Isnt as in tune with her body as the other girls seem to be other than dance
Zuzu: always second best
She struggles a lot with jealousy and questioning whether or not her love for dance is
genuine or merely a ritual in which she continues to take part. Her hunger for success may
be greater than anyone else in the play.
She wants the praise that Amina receives regularly more than anything.
When she gets the role of the spirit of Gandhi over Amina, she must decide how to strike the
balance of owning the lead while remaining in good standing with the rest of the girls, who
believe she was given the role out of pity.
Her and Amina are best friends
Connie: a talented dancer who think she should play the role of Gandhi
Characters 1
She is the only Indian American on the team, which Dance Teacher Pat “dances” around,
allowing her to play Gandhi in the dance and then assigning an additional “spirit of Gandhi”
role to Zuzu. Her comments amongst the group are often overshadowed.
Luke: the only male dancer on the competition team
He has a huge crush on Zuzu and always means well. He is a good friend who wants
everyone to be happy.
Maeve: the oldest and least talented dancer on the team
She speaks her mind, regardless of whether or not it may hurt someone. She likes dance for
now but has bigger plans for her future.
Sofia: knows what's up
she is constantly the source of news and has an opinion about everything. Like Maeve, she is
blunt and unapologetic. She is interested in the facts only
Ashlee: future president of a post-apocalyptic USA
She is not afraid to call anyone out. She is sensitive and often tries to mask her feelings with
negative comments towards others.
Vanessa: could've been a phenomenon (aka THE CRUMPLED SAILOR)
She gets injured in the first scene and we never see her again. It’s almost as if she never
existed.
The Moms: Means well. Grown-up Wendy
often grouped together, we rarely see one mom talking alone to their child. When we do,
there is often a disconnect between them. They mean well but tend to focus too much on
dance and surface level problems rather than the overall well being of their children.
Characters 2
All characters except Dance Teacher Pat and The Moms are between the ages of 11 and 14 years
old. However, they should be played by adult actors (for the most part) and should range in age
from 12 to 75+ There is no need for any of the actors to resemble teenagers. (In fact, please resist
this impulse!) And the more diverse the cast the better.
Think of it as a ghost play: the actors' older bodies are haunting these 13-year-olds characters.
(We're getting to see who they grow up to be!) And these 13-year-old characters are haunted by
the specters of what they will become. At times we should be fully in "13-year-old land" with all
its ridiculousness, pain and pleasure. And at times we should be palpably aware of the actors' real
ages and their distance from this moment in their lives.
The chants should be terrifying rituals that conjure real power.
The dances should take up time and space and be fully and gorgeously embodied performative
events, even if the actors possess no real dance talent. (in fact, better if the actors possess no real
dance talent.)
Cuteness is death. Pagan feral-ness and ferocity are key.
Everyone is nice.
Everyone is vulnerable.
And everyone is trying their hardest.
A slash (/ indicates interruption. And the character heading "ALL THE GIRLS" includes Luke.
Characters 3
