Dessa Character
Breakdown
Dessa Rose: African American female, late 20s-30s, an actor of
extraordinary range. This
character ages instantaneously from 16 years old to a woman in her 80s
with no makeup, or costume change or special effects.
From the vantage point of old age, Dessa Rose remembers and
re-enacts her own story, when she was 16, pregnant and a runaway
slave, and how her encounter with Ruth changes her perceptions and her
heart. This is as
challenging role requiring physical stamina, tremendous and versatile
acting, a powerhouse voice, and the ability to switch ages seamlessly. Dessa Rose is a girl with tremendous passion and innocence,
capable of great violence to protect her child. Low (G-E, rich soulful belt/mix; must have strong D belt.)
Ruth: Caucasian female, late 20s-30s, another role demanding
extraordinary range and depth. The character ages from 18 years old to 80 in front of the
audience with no makeup, or costume change or special effects.
An upper-middle class woman of pre-Civil War South, Ruth goes
through a series of experiences that test her strength, grit, ability
to survive and capacity to love.
She is an abandoned wife, trying to cope with a farm, an infant
and loneliness. A product
of her upbringing, she is conflicted by emotional impulses when she
meets Nathan: one of the runaway slaves.
Roles requires a great actress/singer, soprano (A flat-E flat,
strong mix with body; needs to belt as well.)
Adam Nehemiah: Caucasian male, late 20s-30s, a controlled
intellectual exterior masks repressed passion, conflict and sexuality,
all of which are unleashed in the end. A man caught between the conventions of his world and race,
and his obsessive and dangerous feelings for Dessa Rose. (B flat-F,
strong character baritone with flexible top)
Nathan: African American leading man, late 20s-30s.
Nathan is a runaway slave, highly intelligent, charming, great
sense of comedy, kind hearted, capable as well as clever in the ways
of escape and survival. He plays the love interest to Ruth. (A-F sharp, rich, full
baritone)
Bertie: Caucasian male, late 20s-early 40s, at first appearance
charming and attractive but reveals himself to be a thoughtless
reprobate. This character
also plays various other southern men-an auctioneer, a sheriff, a
brutal slave trader, etc. Must
be capable of creating specific and different characters. (A-A full
voice tenor)
Robert Steele/Mr. Oscar: Caucasian
male, 40-50s, facile character actor capable of playing both a cruel
slave owner and a funny, fumbling drunk.
Also doubles other character cameos, among them the decent
Sheriff Pine. Must be
capable of creating specific and different characters. (E-E character
bass/baritone)
Harker: African American male, late 20s-early 40s, A slave.
A good friend to Nathan as well as his accomplice.
Must be warm and humorous.
He ends up winning Dessa Rose’s heart by the end.
Also plays a few other character roles in the show.
(A-B, a lower gospel baritone with some high (popped) gospel
notes)
Rose/Ada: African American woman in her 40s-50s.
Rose is Dessa Rose’s mother, down-to-earth, angry,
intelligent and superstitious, with a deep wariness of whites and a
passionate attachment to her child. She has borne and lost eleven other children to slavery.
Ada is a runaway slave who has ended up sheltering on Ruth’s
farm, along with her daughter Annabel, a droll and warm mother figure,
always with her daughter. (low A-C sharp, rich motherly quality with
gospel inflections)
Dorcas/Gemina/Janet: African American female, late 30s-50s.
Dorcas is the slave who raised and influenced Ruth, an earth
mother figure with a complex soul.
She is centered, capable of great compassion and love, but with
a sly, sardonic wit. Gemina
is the slave who helps Dessa Rose escape: has the humor and strength
to lie through her teeth. Janet
is an escaped slave on Ruth’s farm. (G-G, big soulful belter with
strong gospel top)
Kaine/Philip: African American male, late 20s-30s.
Kaine is the love of young Dessa Rose’s life and the father
of her unborn child. Sexy,
brash, masculine and joyous. Philip
is a runaway slave on Ruth’s farm, husband to Janet, more of a comic
role. (A-A, high baritone)
Ruth’s Mother/Susannah: Caucasian female, late 20s-early 40s.
Ruth’s mother is a mature, steely southern belle, schooled in
the ways of charm and managing slaves with grace and severity;
Susannah is Nehemiah’s fiancée, a pretty and flirtatious young
girl, who goes from charmingly expectant to disappointed and vengeful.
(B-F, a real mezzo with legit training)
Ananabel/Joy/Slave:
African American female, 20s. Filled with life, spunk, and sass, the
inheritor of the story at the end of the show. (A-A, young, bright
gospel belt/soprano)
