Character Descriptions:
RUDY: 12 years old. Very erudite for his age. He’s questioning why he is being forced into Catholicism, when he’s noticed other suitable religions don’t include getting his knuckles rapped by ruler-wielding Sister Clarissa. He’s clever, observant, analytic, thoughtful, caring and funny, but not in a smart-alecky way.
GEORGIE: 13 years old. His mental age, however, is three years old. Consistently good-natured, he communicates with gestures, grunts and an occasional real word. He enjoys his family, is delighted when he occasionally shocks them, and can be extremely stubborn at times.
EDDIE: 15 years old. Typical teenage brother, alternating between jerk and protector. He’s about at the stage where he thinks he knows it all, and discovers that maybe he doesn’t. He’s also becoming more critical about his father being nothing more than a provider.
ANNIE: 16 years old. A teenage girl stuck with three brothers, making her the “maternal” older sister. At the same time, she’s struggling with her self-image and coming-of-age issues.
CHET PAZINSKI: Mid-40s. Father of four children. Raised Catholic, taught by a stern nun, and expects his kids to follow the same path. He owns and operates the tavern above which the family lives, which has resulted in his hum-drum perpetual weariness, and assumes his sole duty as a father is to put food on the table.
ELLEN PAZINSKI: Mid-40s An attractive woman, wife to Chet and mother of four kids. She’s expected more out of life and her marriage, but is coming to the realization that her expectations will not be met. She’s a good mom and dedicated to her family, but Chet’s tunnel vision of being only a provider and nothing more has eroded the joy they once shared.
SISTER CLARISSA: 70-ish. Stern, dogmatic, ruler-wielding close-to-cliché nun in the beginning, but eventually reveals a more thoughtful, understanding human side.