Quiet, determined, resilient. Once a respected professional in her home country, she now works an entry-level job while studying to recertify in Canada. She carries the weight of her past with dignity but struggles with anxiety, shame, and the fragmentation of her identity. Her arc is one of reclaiming her power

Female, any ethnicity Teacher and coordinator at a community learning centre. Warm, patient, and observant. Has worked with immigrants for fifteen years and understands the quiet struggles behind each student. Serves as a quiet anchor of encouragement for Rihab.

Race: white Description: A free-spirited artist and poet living in Greenwich Village, Alice approaches life with curiosity, warmth, and unwavering honesty. Independent and creatively driven, she values authenticity above convention and believes art should reflect life's deepest truths. While fiercely confident in her identity, she carries the quiet vulnerability of someone who has learned that living openly often comes at a cost.

Race: white Description: Alice's roommate and closest friend, Patricia is grounded, perceptive, and fiercely loyal. Practical where Alice is idealistic, she has a clear-eyed understanding of the realities facing queer women in the 1960s. Her warmth and quiet wit make her a steady source of support, even when she isn't afraid to tell the people she loves what they need to hear.

Race: Black Description: Arnold is an art dealer in his 40s who moves comfortably between the commercial and creative worlds of New York. Professional but somewhat informal, he has a genuine appreciation for Alice’s work and is willing to pay well for it, while respecting the boundaries she sets around the pieces she considers personally significant. His interest in her art extends beyond a single transaction, suggesting someone who sees artistic value where others might not.

Race: Any Description: waitress at a diner

Character is male, 20’s - 40’s, any ethnicity. Riding in on a horse, he promotes the ‘Great Exhibit Of The West: Come Live Your Dream,’ travelling spectacular. Later seen helping teach young folks how to lasso a horse. *Please suggest Actors who are comfortable around horses. *Lassoing skills a plus. ACTOR ROLE.

Character is male, 20’s - 40’s, any ethnicity. Riding in on a horse, he promotes the ‘Great Exhibit Of The West: Come Live Your Dream,’ travelling spectacular. Later seen helping teach young folks how to lasso a horse. *Please suggest Actors who are comfortable around horses. *Lassoing skills a plus. ACTOR ROLE.

Adrian is a cold and calculating CEO, exuding an air of pristine con!dence that masks a complex inner life. He is handsome in a dark, brooding way, often dressed in sharp suits that re"ect his high status. As the head of a powerful casino empire, he is both feared and respected, but beneath his ruthless exterior lies a man grappling with his father's legacy and his own feelings for Lana.

Lana is a determined and resourceful young woman with a mousy demeanor that belies her !erce ambition. She dresses modestly, often in knee-length skirts and "ats, but her intelligence and resolve shine through her nervous exterior. As she navigates the treacherous world of the casino, she grapples with her desire for revenge against those who wronged her father, while also forming a complicated bond with Adrian Voss.

Darren (19) has an athletic/toned body. He is a U.S. Army cadet whose public reputation as a "hometown hero" masks a deeply troubled domestic reality. Driven by a fierce protective instinct, Darren frequently attempts to shield his younger brother, Connor, from their father Lane's violent abuse. Darren also shares a secret, passionate romantic relationship with his brother Connor, eventually promising to desert his military career so they can stay together. This role requires nudity, must be comfortable doing limited stunt/movement/underwater work. Actor must be 18 or over to be considered for the role…LEAD

Connor (17) has an athletic/toned body. He is a rebellious, artistic teenager who actively rejects his family's performative religious lifestyle in favor of alternative music, cult films, and smoking. His fierce defiance of his tyrannical father, Lane, makes him the primary target of brutal physical and verbal abuse. Connor finds his only sense of safety and emotional survival in his older brother, Darren. This role requires nudity, must be comfortable doing limited stunt/movement/underwater work. Actor must be 18 or over to be considered for the role…LEAD

Summer - Woman, 25, Caucasian - A grounded and perceptive barista with warmth, intelligence, wit and firm boundaries. Summer understands the emotional ecosystem of Chai Tea better than anyone and sees through Maninder almost immediately. She is neither impressed nor intimidated by his anger and frequently becomes his reluctant translator into basic human decency. There is a romantic possibility between them, but their strongest dynamic comes from Summer seeing him too clearly and calmly challenging him whenever he is lying to himself. Requires excellent naturalistic comedic timing, emotional intelligence, warmth and strong chemistry with the performer playing Maninder. The performer should be comfortable handling café items and wearing a production-provided apron. Content Considerations: There may be a brief scripted kiss between Summer and Maninder at the conclusion of the series. The final requirements will be confirmed and disclosed before booking.

Blake Owen - Male, 28, Caucasian - Think Dwight Schrute from the office - An earnest, approval-hungry café employee who takes his job far too seriously. Blake has always believed he deserves to become manager and sees Maninder’s arrival as an insulting example of family nepotism. Blake creates checklists for existing checklists, talks about team culture without irony and takes compost rules personally. Beneath his officious behaviour, he is deeply insecure and desperate to feel important. We are looking for a genuinely funny performer with a strong and distinctive personality. The comedic reference is Dwight from The Office, but the performance should remain original, grounded and specific to Blake. Requires sharp comedic instincts, physical comedy and the ability to make an exaggerated personality feel sincere rather than cartoonish. The performer should be comfortable handling café items, wearing a production-provided apron and potentially appearing in cycling clothing. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity, intimacy or violence currently indicated. The role includes workplace conflict, physical comedy and moments of heightened emotional stress.

Ingrid - Woman, 68, East Aisian, with Korean heritage preferred - An elegant, precise and quietly formidable café regular. Ingrid arrives with one fresh flower each day, completes her crosswords in pen and notices everything happening around her. She says very little but can correct an entire personality with a single observation. Ingrid loved CT and does not automatically extend the same affection to Maninder, who must slowly earn her approval. Requires exceptional stillness, dry comedic timing and the ability to land brief lines with quiet authority. The character’s surname appears as both Park and Chin in the current development materials. The final character name will be confirmed before production. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity, intimacy or violence currently indicated. The role includes verbal conflict and dry insults.

Felix Harcourt - Male, 72, Caucasian - An elderly café regular with thick glasses, enormous books and an almost heroic ability to occupy the same chair without ordering anything. Felix has been part of Chai Tea for so long that the other regulars consider him part of the architecture. Maninder sees him as a business problem, while everyone else sees him as part of the café’s soul. Felix is quiet, dry and almost mythic. He says very little, but every line lands. Requires understated comedic timing, strong listening skills and the ability to communicate through stillness, silence and small reactions. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity, intimacy or violence currently indicated. The character is confronted about leaving the café and participates in mild verbal conflict.

Tyler - Male, 35, Caucasian- Denise’s estranged partner and one half of the breakup couple who refuse to give up their shared café. Tyler and Denise separated approximately eight months ago, but both continue visiting Chai Tea. They sit separately while carefully monitoring each other’s emotional progress and frequently turn coffee orders, seating arrangements and café food into full relationship arguments. Tyler is defensive, stubborn and still far more invested in Denise than he wants anyone to know. Requires excellent comedic rhythm, grounded emotional delivery, natural banter and strong chemistry with the performer playing Denise. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity or violence currently indicated. The role includes frequent verbal arguments and relationship conflict with Denise. No physical intimacy is currently indicated.

Denise - Female, 35, Caucasian - Tyler’s estranged partner and the equally stubborn other half of Chai Tea’s ongoing breakup drama. Denise is intense, quick-witted and unwilling to surrender the café simply because the relationship ended. She and Tyler can turn a shared coffee order or the last sandwich in the display case into a full emotional battle. Beneath the hostility, it is clear that neither of them has fully moved on. Requires excellent comedic rhythm, grounded emotional delivery, natural banter and strong chemistry with the performer playing Tyler. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity or violence currently indicated. The role includes frequent verbal arguments and relationship conflict with Tyler. No physical intimacy is currently indicated.

Karen Greer - Female, 38, Open Ethnicity - A permanently stressed Vancouver-area realtor who uses Chai Tea as her unofficial office, client lounge, crisis bunker and emotional charging station. Karen storms in and out between showings, rearranges furniture for video calls and is always one bad offer away from collapse. She is demanding, intense and frequently exhausting, but fiercely loyal when someone she cares about is threatened. Requires sharp verbal comedy, strong energy and the ability to move quickly between rage, vulnerability and genuine warmth. The performer should be comfortable with fast-paced dialogue, handling a phone and moving café furniture or props as directed. Content Considerations: No nudity, partial nudity, intimacy or violence currently indicated. The role includes heated verbal conflict, threats made for comedic effect and heightened emotional outbursts.