Non-Speaking Restaurant Bus Boy. Age 22-30. Open ethnicity.

ANGELA is in high school. She's dreamy, like from the virgin suicides. She expresses herself through dance.

Female. Late-30's to Mid-40's (Has a teen daughter). Any ethnicity. ASHLEY is well put together, affluent, and confident in public. She has a warm but slightly performative kindness. She wants to do good and be seen doing good. There is genuine care in her, but also hesitation, distance, and a subtle fear of crossing invisible social lines. Actor should balance sincerity with discomfort and self-awareness.

Female, 15-18. Any ethnicity. ABBY is gentle, observant, and emotionally open. She follows her mother’s lead but is noticeably less guarded. Her kindness is instinctive rather than performative – she gives easily and without overthinking. Actor should feel natural, soft, and emotionally intuitive, able to communicate empathy without dialogue. In her scene, she is with her mother as they encounter someone who may need help.

Male, 40-60. Any ethnicity. KIRBY has been living on the streets for so long that he can no longer remember what life was like before. We see him waiting in line at the bottle depot, for the bus, to enter the shelter. He is a living record of how outside forces can quietly redirect a life. He carries resilience, weariness, and a deep, practiced patience. Actor should feel grounded, real, and shaped by years of survival. In his scene, KIRBY encounters a teenager on his first night without a place to sleep.

14-16. Angsty teen phase. Greasy hair. Wears a hoody and headphones. His parents don't understand him. He's lonely. He's quite popular with his friend group but can't find a way to access them, trapped in the suburbs and too young to drive a car to them. A small bubble of hatred for his family is slowly growing. He smokes weed and walks around aimlessly looking for answers.

50s. Semi-retired. He wears a Hawaiin shirt, lei-flowers, and drinks Mai Tais completelty un-ironically. It is impossible to tan his pale Albertan skin. It only burns. He has not shaved his mustache since he first grew it at age 19. He left Grand Prairie and moved to 'the big city' of Edmonton, to start a small business with his high school sweetheart Mary Anne.

50s. She has the 'mom cut'. Speaks in platitudes. She is afraid of truly being herself, living under her husband's thumb. She seeks comfort and drinks to numb her own curiosities. She has a 'life is a cabernet' painting on her kitchen mantle and genuinely loves it. She loves her son but doesn't know how to get through to him. She's a good person.

Leanne is open to interpretation and the ideal candidate will also audition with 2 of her own young children. Open to candidates without children as well. Leanne is a lightly humorous character--bringing physical comedy in how she and her children walk to the mall, how they dress alike.

Kelsey lives a short bus ride from the West Edmonton Mall and got a summer job there that turned into a full time position. She recently graduated High School and finds herself at a strange cross-roads...at a job she has no future or interest in, in a place she looks compeltely out of place. It could be interesting if Kelsey's visual makeup was in striking juxtaposition to the park. Is she a goth? Is she Gen Z (hunter schaefer euphoria makeup?). Open to striking faces and all identities. She’s quiet and introspective but carries herself with a subtle confidence. Beneath her bold exterior, there’s a sense of vulnerability, especially when she’s caught in isolating moments, like being stranded in a snowstorm after leaving the mall or when she eats alone in the food court.

Teresa is a 19-21-year-old, petite, and classically pretty blonde. She’s flirty, often wearing revealing clothing like short leaopard print or leather skirts, even in winter, giving off a carefree, party-girl vibe. Teresa is just barely on the club scene, embracing the nightlife with shots and bottle service, but there's more going on beneath the surface. Emotionally, Teresa is going through a breakup or some personal turmoil. One night, after drinking heavily, she gets behind the wheel of her oversized vehicle, crying and singing along to Shania Twain’s “You're Still the One.” Despite the cold, she’s dressed for the club, her short skirt and clunky heels contrasting with the winter weather. She drunkenly drives home, parking crookedly in her driveway, still singing, lost in the emotional mess she’s trying to outrun. Teresa feels young, impulsive, and raw, clinging to her flirty exterior while struggling with heartbreak.

We meet Mabel on the eve of her 100th birthday, at a retirement home on the outskirts of town. We see her shoebox of a room, filled with pictures, bird carvings; small memories of a big life and the only things she’s chosen to keep on this final stage of her life. Through Mabel we can film a beautiful portrait that is a direct reflection on growing old and looking back. As we watch her and the other residents go about their day and ultimately celebrate her birthday at a ‘concert’ with an Elvis Impersonator, we get a privileged view into old age, something almost taboo that is rarely filmed. Is Mabel lonely? How does she feel about the long life she’s lived? As she falls asleep we rest on a beautiful close-up of her face and delve into her memories and dreams of her life back in the town of Grand Prairie.

Maria is a Hutterite living in a small colony in Alberta. Her life is orderly, peaceful, and very adult. Although she lives a life of tradition and discipline, she does have frequent contact with the modern world through social media and is allowed a smartphone and computer. Maria represents a fascinating way to explore the lines between new and old, faith and chaos.

Male, 15-18. Any ethnicity. JADIN is quiet, observant, and emotionally guarded. He is kind, intelligent, and trying hard not to be seen needing anything. He carries exhaustion in his body but keeps moving with quiet determination. He does not complain or ask for much. His vulnerability reveals itself in small moments – in how carefully he watches people, in how gently he takes up space. Actor must be able to carry long stretches without dialogue and communicate inner life through stillness and presence. In this film, JADIN is a high school student without a safe place to sleep. We follow him over one long winter evening as he tries to stay warm, fed, and unnoticed. Strong physical and emotional storytelling required.

Non-binary, 15–18. Any ethnicity. ALEX is quiet, capable, and emotionally self-reliant. They move through the world with care and restraint, focused on staying functional and avoiding attention. Alex is not rebellious or “run-away” coded. They are practical, observant, and independent beyond their years. At school, Alex appears composed and present – at times, even social. This outward competence masks the fact that they are navigating housing instability alone, managing basic needs like warmth, food, and safety with steady determination. In this film, ALEX is a high school student experiencing their first night without a safe place to sleep. We follow them from school, through a winter night in the city, and back to school the next morning, visibly affected by the experience.

Actors of all ethnicities, races, and backgrounds are encouraged to submit. The strong, silent type working nights patrolling Calgary’s Plus 15 system, asking people not to loiter and keeping the corridors moving. He does not come across as powerful or aggressive, just steady and matter of fact, someone doing his rounds and trying to avoid conflict. There is a quiet compassion in him, especially toward people looking for warmth on a cold night. Actor should feel grounded, understated, and natural, able to communicate authority and empathy with very little dialogue. In his scene, he approaches someone sheltering inside and gently asks them to move along.

Actors of all ethnicities, races, and backgrounds are encouraged to submit. An employee at a busy pizza by the slice counter, juggling orders and moving quickly through a steady stream of customers. Practical, efficient, and a little tired, he is focused on keeping the line moving rather than getting involved in anyone’s story. Not unkind, just detached and task oriented, someone who has seen everything and learned not to linger. Actor should feel natural and grounded, able to play small, everyday realism with minimal dialogue. In his scene, he serves a late night rush and matter of factly handles a declined payment before moving on to the next order.

Leanne's child. Open to any casting -- the ideal candidate will audition with their mother but also open to children auditioning without their parents also auditioning for Leanne. The children are lightly humorous, bringing physical comedy in how they walk with their mother and how they dress.

Leanne's child. Open to any casting -- the ideal candidate will audition with their mother but also open to children auditioning without their parents also auditioning for Leanne. The children are lightly humorous, bringing physical comedy in how they walk with their mother and how they dress.

John is the eldest son of a working class father, who followed in his fathers footsteps. Dad does not approve of his career path. John resents Clark for getting the praise of his father.