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 bySherell Williams

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.

Played byIsaiah Joshua Foster

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.

Played byJamil Denard Jr.

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.

Played byAshley Victoria Scott

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."

Played byAshley Victoria Scott

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.

Played byDeric Gochenauer

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.

Played byDeric Gochenauer

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.

Isaiah Joshua Foster — Lionel Russell as Tony Manfredo

Played byLevi Buckmaster

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.