family-dramacoming-of-age

Infant Role

1 chapters

~3 min read

When the local theatre group needs an infant for their play, Connie sees an opportunity in tiny Leonard. His mother Shirley must decide if she will let her five-year-old son be cast as a six-month-old baby girl. Shirley say yes

MEET THE CHARACTERS

Leonard 'Lenny' Carter

A 5-year-old boy with the delicate, miniature frame of an infant, his wide hazel eyes taking in a world built for giants. He moves with a quiet carefulness, a lifetime of being handled gently written into his bones, his small hands often curled into loose fists. Dressed in soft, simple clothes, he carries the profound stillness of a child accustomed to being observed as something fragile.

Shirley Carter

Leonard's mother, a woman in her late thirties with tired eyes that soften only for her son, and hands that know every contour of his tiny body from years of vigilant care. She wears her worry like a second skin, seen in the way she constantly smooths her son's hair or adjusts his collar, her movements a silent prayer for his safety.

Connie Delgado

A vibrant woman in her early forties with expressive hands and a voice that carries the warmth of the stage. Her stylish, bohemian clothes smell faintly of coffee and greasepaint, and she looks at the world—and at little Leonard—as a collection of potential roles waiting to be cast.

EXPLORE CHAPTERS

The Casting Call

Connie’s coffee cup hovered in mid-air, her eyes fixed on Leonard where he sat quietly on the rug. Shirley’s hand stilled on her son’s fine hair. The living room air thickened with the unspoken weight of all the doctor’s visits, the growth charts, the careful handling. Connie leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial stage whisper. ‘The part’s for an infant. A six-month-old girl.’