characters
ELLIOT ORTIZ
Elliot is a Marine Iraq war veteran who was honorably discharged due to a leg injury six years ago (the play occurs in 2009 at age 24, therefore he was in Iraq in 2003 at age 18). The leg injury has resulted with him walking with a limp. His Aunt Ginny is referenced to and holds all the emotional charge of “Mom,” while his biological mother, Odessa, only offers a point of hurt and painful memory. He does not forgive his mother for the death of his younger sister, Mary Lou. He is ashamed of his occupation at Subway. He has PTSD, which is represented by the character Ghost haunting him, and also is a recovering pain medication addict himself, which is revealed when he collides with the online world of Odessa. He has good teeth, so good he was in a Colgate advertisement on Spanish television. Elliot is the main protagonist of the play. It is through his relationships that the story develops and moves him from the status quo. Although he manipulates Odessa, and may seem to be an antagonist, it is his story that is being told through the course of this play. YAZMIN ORTIZ Yaz is the primary support system for Elliot, her cousin, in this play. She is a recently divorced, 31 year old, adjunct professor of music at Swarthmore College. She is educated, which helps her understand the dysfunctional family she is a part of, as well as acknowledging addiction and recovery. She has a strong familial bond, and by the end of the play confirms she will become the new matriarch. Yazmin is also a minor protagonist. Her observations and contributions to Elliot’s behavior are encouraging, yet if she feels things are getting too far out of hand she attempts to reel him in. Her change is not as a drastic as Elliot’s, she becomes an observer to a self-proclaimed future doer. A GHOST Ghost is a male Iraqi man. His only line he is “Can I please have my passport back?” in Arabic. He haunts Elliot and is the ghost of the first person Elliot ever killed in Iraq. There is a physical altercation between him and Elliot at the end of Scene 6. PROFESSOR AMAN Aman is a professor at Swarthmore College with Yazmin. He is a translator of Arabic and translates what Ghost is saying to Elliot. POLICEMAN The Policeman is the one to tell Orangutan she cannot sleep on the train platform in Sapporo, Japan. |
ODESSA ORTIZ
Odessa, 39 years old, is the biological mother of Elliot, and the aunt of Yazmin. She is a recovering addict. Her online life and persona, Haikumom, brings with it not only a task to keep her away from her addiction, but also a space for her to exert maternal instincts. This is shown through her genuine concern and censoring of language within the chat room. Her online world holds the key to her success with beating addiction. Odessa works as a janitor, therefore money is tight, and her living conditions are one step above absolute poverty. Odessa serves as the antagonist of the play. It is her actions of the past and present that spur Elliot (and Yazmin) into a change of status. Her addiction proves to be a source of weakness Elliot manipulates to try to return to the status quo. FOUNTAINHEAD (JOHN) Fountainhead is a successful computer programmer and enterprenure. He is 38 years old, white, and lives on Philadelphia’s Main Line. He has a wife of seven years, and a son, he hides his smoking crack habit from them both, although his son has figured out his dad is smoking something he probably shouldn’t be. Fountainhead is the newest member to Odessa’s chat room, and initially does not call his condition an addiction. John, in the real world, becomes a friend, and eventual caretaker of Odessa. His world collides with hers on a variety of levels, primarily concerning family, money, and addiction. However, at play’s end he is the one giving Odessa the biggest amount of support and encouragement. CHUTES&LADDERS Chutes&Ladders, or Clayton “Buddy” Wilkie, works for the IRS for several (about 30) years. Prior to traveling to Japan he had not taken a vacation for ten years. He is African-American, age 56, and lives in San Diego. He is a God believing man, but doesn’t seem religious. ORANGUTAN Orangutan is an adopted Japanese-American who now works and lives in Japan. She is 31 years old, and is the most playful of the people in the chat room. Her real name is Madeline Mays. She grew up in Maine. She is a self-described agnostic. |