Locked In The Storm
Cast of Characters
Eight young people (seven enrolled students and one newcomer); four adults.
TEEN ROLES
MARCUS “DEUCE” WHITFIELD — Male, plays 16–18 | Vocals: Not Required
High school Senior and Finley's star football player has scouts watching and a neighborhood counting on him. He is in detention after telling Tamala he had practice. Deuce hides headaches, memory lapses, and possible concussion symptoms because reporting them could jeopardize his prospects. He is also no longer sure football is the future he wants. His confidence cracks when the storm makes it impossible to play through pain.
ANDREA “ANI” GRANT — Female, plays 15–18 | Vocals: Not Required
Fast, funny, and informed about everyone else's business, Ani uses information to keep control of a life that rarely gives her any. Outside school, she looks after her younger siblings while her mother works long shifts. No one at Finley understands how much she carries. Losing phone service threatens the one link she has to home, while the search tests whether she will use what she knows to protect people or expose them.
JAYLEN “JAY” BROOKS — Male, plays 17–19 | Vocals: Required (R&B/soul lead)
Stylish, charming, and hard to read, Jay arrives claiming to be a prospective transfer student. After his mother's death, he has been living in his car. He came to Finley to find the grandfather he has never met: Mr. J. A private connection to Brooklyn complicates his story. When the prize vanishes, his shifting explanations and urgent need for stability make him an easy suspect. The actor needs presence, musical ability, and emotional range.
BROOKLYN WHITAKER — Female, plays 16–17 | Vocals: Required (gospel/soul lead)
Student body president, honor student, gifted church singer, and daughter of the pastor of the county’s largest church, Brooklyn is the face Finley wants to show its guests. Warm and capable, she can also be judgmental; she has spent her life meeting her family’s expectations and measuring others by them. She is expected to obey her parents and is not allowed to have a boyfriend. In secret, she was dating Jay when he attended her church. After his mother died, he vanished, but now he shows up at the school. Brooklyn is hiding a secret and must decide how much truth she will risk to defend him and whether she can make a decision about her future in her own voice.
DESTINY OWENS — Female, plays 15–18 | Vocals: Not Required
Brilliant at coding and robotics, Destiny is quiet, gentle, and often the butt of jokes because her family has little money. Her adoptive parents love her but do not understand the cultural pressures she faces, sometimes unintentionally making school harder for her. After four years of bullying by Journey, Destiny created and leaked a fake video of her. When Journey attempted suicide, Deuce—Destiny’s secret friend—learned she was responsible. Destiny fears that confessing could lead to arrest and ruin her future. Staying silent would leave Journey to bear the harm alone.
TERRELL “RELL” MACK — Male, plays 15–18 | Vocals: Not Required; spoken-word poetry a plus
Rell's roasts and quick observations keep the room laughing. He has been pushed into the showcase as a last chance after repeated suspensions, and adults expect trouble from him. Beneath the jokes are panic attacks and memories of witnessing his father kill someone; his father's incarceration has become a label Rell cannot shake. He writes strong poetry in private and hopes the prize could buy him a fresh start. The role needs comic timing that can give way to stillness and courage.
JOURNEY LEWIS — Female, plays 15–18 | Vocals: Required (R&B/soul lead)
Journey used to be a bully, that is until a fake video of her went viral. She has withdrawn from classmates and stopped trusting anyone because anyone could have done it. Her frequently absent parents have missed how badly she is struggling. A teacher requires her to join the showcase to pass, unaware that Journey secretly writes songs and sings when she feels safe. Her journey is toward using her own voice again without minimizing the harm she once caused.
TRE'VON “TRE” HOLLOWAY — Male, plays 16–18 | Vocals: Not Required Ability to Rap is Required (rap/freestyle)
In detention with Deuce, Tre has a sharp mouth and a reputation that makes him an obvious suspect when the prize goes missing. He starts the freestyle that briefly lifts the group's spirits. Few people know he struggles to read: he memorizes every rhyme he writes and deflects whenever words on a page might expose him. Under pressure, he must risk asking for help instead of letting another label speak for him.
ADULT ROLES
PRINCIPAL HENDRIX — Any gender, plays 40–55 | Vocals: Not Required
Exhausted, stubborn, and deeply committed to Finley, Hendrix sees the showcase as a chance to win support before the school's governing board decides its future. The principal has learned to improvise around shortages, but the hurricane exposes the limits of that approach. Hendrix's dramatic task is to keep everyone safe while trusting the young people to make consequential choices.
TAMALA WHITFIELD — Female, plays 38–50 | Vocals: Not Required but a plus
Deuce's mother is outspoken, funny, fiercely protective, and furious that he lied about practice. She can challenge Hendrix, command a room, and make people laugh without trying. When Deuce's symptoms and doubts come to light, Tamala must hear what he actually wants instead of answering for him. A major comic role with an emotional turn.
MS. DEE-DEE PARKER — Female, plays 35–60 | Vocals: Not Required but a plus
Finley's favorite teacher and the showcase coordinator always seems to have time for one more student. Since her husband's death, she has stayed late at school because the quiet at home is harder to face. Dee-Dee knows how to draw a reluctant young person into a performance, but the storm asks her to let others care for her as well.
MR. J (MR. JACOBS) — Male, plays 55–70 | Vocals: Required; keyboard or guitar ability a plus
Finley's custodian knows every leak, breaker, and overlooked corner. Students see a gruff man fixing things; few know he is a former Finley student and once produced a hit record. He is Jay's grandfather, separated from that branch of his family for years. Their encounter offers him a second chance at family, and he begins imagining how music could have a place at Finley again. The actor should bring quiet authority and warmth.