Characters & Instrumentation

CHARACTERS

PRINCIPAL ROLES
FATIMA (Omar’s mother): dramatic mezzo, black. Esteemed authority figure with gravitas.
OMAR: tenor, black. Absolutely a starring role. Needs a dramatic, powerful voice that can also deliver soft, vulnerable moments.
JOHNSON / JAMES OWEN (dual role): baritone, white. Johnson is an ignorant bully.
James Owen is educated and devout.  A powerful voice with an edge.

FEATURED ROLES
JULIE: lyric soprano, black. Vivacious and headstrong, yet a realist.
ELIZA (James Owen’s daughter): mezzo soprano, white. Innocent, young appearance. The character is a tween, although the singer need not be underage.
KATIE ELLEN / THE CALLER (dual role): mezzo-soprano, black. Fun-loving, extroverted, funny. A bold voice.
AUCTIONEER / TAYLOR (dual role): tenor, white. Auctioneer is a pitchman, good for a bright voice with an edge. Taylor is a gentler, thoughtful sidekick.
ABDUL (Omar’s brother) / ABE (dual role): baritone, black. Both earnest men who are betrayed by society. A voice with some vulnerability.

SATB CHORUS (approx 67% black, 33% white)

FEATURED CHORUS SOLOS
SLAVER #1 (b, white), SLAVER #2 (t, white), SLAVER #3 (b, white),
AMADOU (t, black), OLUFEMI (b, black), SULEIMAN (b, black)
MARY (alto, black), RENTY (b, black), TESS (alto, black), JOHN (b, black)

Performers who sing AMADOU, OLUFEMI and SULEIMAN may also cover the roles of RENTY and JOHN.
There are other short solos for members of the chorus in the score.

ORCHESTRATION

2 Flutes (1st dbl. Alto Flute, 2nd dbl. Piccolo)

2 Oboes (2nd dbl. English Horn)

2 Clarinets in Bb (2nd dbl. Bass Clarinet)

2 Bassoons (2nd dbl. Contrabassoon)

2 Horns in F

2 Trumpets in C

2 Trombones

Contrabass Trombone

Timpani

Percussion  (3 Players):
Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Frame Drum, African Drums (Kidi, Sogo), Crotales, Triangle, Tambourine, Suspended Cymbal, Tam-tam, Xylophone, Piatti, Slapstick (or Whip)

Piano

Harp

Strings