Exhibit 04 — Cast of Characters

Who tells it

A kaleidoscopic cacophony of characters who tumble over each other. Some appealing, some not — all revealing their humanity.

Character 01

The Interviewer

Female · African-American · Mid-50s

A professor of urban studies, reserved to the point of brittleness. She has come to record an oral history of Queensbridge — and finds her own beginnings inside it.

Darlene Elizabeth Joiner as the Interviewer

Played byDarlene Elizabeth Joiner

Character 02

Lionel Russell

"Pharaoh"

Male · African-American · Mid-70s

Warm. Wry. Angry. The keeper of the record — born in the projects on New Year's Day, 1950. Doubles as Mr. Turner and Mr. Phail.

Character 03

Jeremy Treadway

"Jay Tay" · "Caesar"

Male · African-American · Late teens

Smooth-talking and hip. Lionel's running buddy, who built the biggest crew in the projects — first to protect his mother, then for everything else.

Character 04

Mrs. Russell

Female · African-American · Mid-50s

Despairing. Resigned. Tired of work, of Nabisco, of two steps back for one step forward. She lives to watch her son grow.

Character 05

Mrs. Treadway

Female · African-American · Mid-50s

Tragically humorous. Jay Tay's mother, who learned to quilt in Gee's Bend — maps and codes stitched into cloth. "No one's telling my story but me."

Character 06

Mr. Habig

Male · No specific race · Mid-40s

Brooding. Menacing. He sets up chessboards in the park, rain or shine, and counts everything — bounces and squeezes a small rubber ball as he walks.

Character 07

Mr. Manfredo

Male · Italian-American · Mid-40s

Angry. Resentful. He watches the courtyard from his window with binoculars and a tabloid, and he calls the police. A man who feels left behind enemy lines.

Character 08

Tony Manfredo

Male · Italian-American · Late teens

Belligerent. Aggressive. Carries a baseball bat. He has it in for Jay Tay — and anyone near Jay Tay.

Character 09

Mr. Rosenberg

Male · Jewish · Mid-70s

Striving but exhausted. He sells appliances, rugs, and furniture door to door from catalogs — "Amazon before there was Amazon" — climbing the stairs in the heat.

Character 10