Description:

Seeking actors for a short film, PASTEL, directed by Jackson Coates. Filming will take place in Chicago and the greater Illinois area April 22nd-April 30th.

Synopsis:
In the middle of rural Texas, the sudden absence of 6-year old Pastel leaves the members of the First Fundamentalist Commune in shock. The commune attempts to return to normalcy, but after the announcement of an inevitable apocalypse from the commune leader, Pastor Ruby, the small community quickly spirals into paranoia.

ACTORS:

Pastor Ruby- (he/him), 50s or older, any ethnicity.
After a forcible removal from his pastoral position at Southern Baptist due to increasingly radical viewpoints and disturbing allegations, Ruby takes his devout followers and starts a sustainable community in rural Texas. He has lived a life of absolute purity, only repressing thoughts and actions until they began to grow wildly out of control.
$200 stipend
Shoot Dates: April 22nd, 23rd, 28th

Pastel - (she/her), 6 years old, any ethnicity
Younger sister to Violet, Pastel was born in the commune and it truly is the only thing she's ever known. Too young to comprehend the religious rhetoric preached to her, she remains the only pure individual in the commune.
$200 stipend
Shoot Dates: April 29th, possibly another day for potential reshoots

Violet - (non-gender specific), 20s, any ethnicity.
A devout follower of Pastor Ruby during their years at Southern Baptist. Having only ever been taught the absolute importance of perfection, Violet views religion and life as one and the same. After Pastel's disappearance, Violet slowly realizes the paradox of perfection and its inherent impossibility.
$150 stipend
Shoot Dates: April 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 30th

Bloom- (she/her), 20s, any ethnicity.
Having arrived in the First Fundamentalist Commune only 6 months prior, Bloom is the only member with silent doubt. A product of multiple church systems ever since a child, Bloom develops a subtle doubt in the religious teachings around her.
$150 stipend
Shoot Dates: April 21st, 22nd, 23rd

Elijah- (he/him), 20s, any ethnicity.
Brother to Bloom, Elijah doesn't have the same doubts his sister carries. Having fully drank the kool-aid, he remains loyal to the religion while the world around him disintegrates.
$150 stipend
April 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 30th

Perkins - (she/her), 30s-40s, any ethnicity
Sunday School teacher at the Southern Baptist Church Ruby occupied before starting the First Fundamentalists. She first joined the church due to the new and beloved Pastor Ruby, however she soon starts to realize a growing obsession the Pastor has with a young student of hers.
$100 stipend
Shoot Date: April 28th

Warding - (he/him) 50s or older, any ethnicity
The main board member of the Southern Baptist Church. A pragmatic, fiscally-concerned individual. Warding becomes concerned with the amount of power Ruby was slowly starting to accumulate. His decision to kick Ruby out of the church stemmed from this power fear as well as the increasingly concerning obsession with a younger student.
$100 stipend
Shoot Date: April 28th

Weld- (she/her) 6 years old, any ethnicity
While Pastel has disappeared, Weld is the other very young child in the First Fundamentalist commune. She represents the other path young minds can take when born in a hyper-religious environment. Whereas Pastel managed to escape the commune in the end, Weld is the child wearing the "The End is Near" sandwich sign. Although completely innocent, Weld falls victim to the ideology of the individuals around her.
$125 stipend
April 30th