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Character Descriptions for “Another Part of the Forest”
Coralee: She is the Hubbard’s black maid and the loving caretaker/defender for Lavinia. She is a woman of few words, but great strength and dignity. Her objectives are to do her job, keep her head low to avoid the Hubbard’s inherent evil, and protect Lavinia from drawing the attention of their wrath and mistreatment. A truly beautiful soul and loving woman, we find at the end of the play that she in part holds a key to the secret which changes everything in the Hubbard home. Stage age 40s—60s.
Jacob (Jake): The male servant in the house, he also adopts a posture to avoid being noticed and therefore avoiding the family’s cruelty, though he tries on occasion to be “one of the guys”, with dismal success. He and Coralee are one another’s support as each tries to keep the family happy and content. Lavinia is the one member of the family who treats them both with love and respect, and they take care of her. The others treat them with general indifference. Stage age 10s—60 (easily adaptable to most any age—I could see him as child or an older man).
(Please note: These two characters are small but essential well-written roles in this play and to the story. They would have very recently been slaves, who have been granted “freedom” as a result of the very recent Civil War, and must be played by black actors—to have a white actor play these roles would be an incorrect depiction of the time and reality of the period we are trying to create, and we would lose the social statement Ms. Hellman was trying so hard to convey about class distinction and race relations of the era. They are important to the story in many ways. These are also small enough roles that the same actor could play one of the servants in both plays if they were interested—either as the same servant 20 years earlier or creating two completely different characters. Again, they are painfully aware, that the people they must work for are making their fortunes off the pain and strife of their people.)
Marcus Hubbard: The family patriarch, he is simultaneously soft-spoken and harsh in his demeanor and treatment of others. This is important—the power in his presence is that he rarely raises his voice, but can cut someone to shreds with his words and authoritarian tone. He is a self-made man, having educated himself and built his fortune from humble beginnings, and he has contempt for anyone without the same ambition—namely his sons. A man of strength and power, he has made his fortune in very unsavory ways—by taking everything from those who have suffered most from the fallout of the war. He is believed to be guilty of a terrible crime during the war, but has escaped conviction due to lack of evidence. However, we learn that his wife Lavinia and Coralee hold a secret which could destroy him. How does one turn the tables on a tyrant? He has great contempt for his wife (whom he has driven to near madness with his cruelty) his sons Benjamin and Oscar, and everyone in town, with the exception of one person—his daughter, Regina. And their relationship is…questionable in its appropriateness. Stage age 60—70.
Lavinia Hubbard: The long suffering wife of Marcus and mother to Benjamin, Oscar and Regina, she has been driven to the brink of madness by the cruelty of her husband and children, and by living with knowledge of Marcus’ “great sin”. Coralee is her guardian angel, and tries hard to keep them from having opportunity to inflict their sick and vicious treatment. Her only desire in life is to get away from this life of hell and go back to her hometown in the piney woods and open a school for “colored children”. The promise of this happening is used as the strongest weapon against her by Marcus. Only in revealing her secret might she finally realize her dream. Stage age late 50s—60s.
Benjamin Hubbard: The eldest son of Marcus and Lavinia, he has more of his father in him that he would ever want to admit. Kept in near poverty by Marcus as he is forced to do his father’s dirty work in his store for long hours and meager income, his contempt for Marcus has grown to a palpable level. Unable to depose the despot, he sits in idle wait of his father’s death when all his wealth will come to him. He bullies and controls his younger brother Oscar in the same way Marcus rules him, and he stands in awe of the incredible power his sister’s seduction carries in wrapping their father around her little finger. When he finally stands up to Marcus and is ordered to leave the home, it is only Lavinia’s secret that can save him from ruin. Let the game begin! Stage age mid 30s—40ish.
Oscar Hubbard: The younger Hubbard son, he is weak and sniveling. Marcus holds him in contempt for his lack of drive and weakness, but also appreciates that he is easily controlled and dominated. Oscar looks for his escape from this situation through hunting, beating up on blacks and carpetbaggers, and searching for love which is “deep and sincere”. Unfortunately for Oscar, he falls for the town’s most renowned prostitute, Laurette Sincee. When he brings her home to meet the family, they playfully descend upon her like a pack of lions toying with a defenseless gazelle, and Oscar faces complete humiliation, but not as much humiliation as he faces when he goes after her. Benjamin has other plans for Oscar—to marry Birdie Bagtry so her family’s cotton plantation will become theirs. Oscar has no interest in her. Stage age 30ish.
Regina Hubbard: The only daughter of Marcus and Lavinia, she is a true southern belle, with all the charm and manner of Scarlet O’Hara. She is described as “handsome” and I think she is such due more to her manner than actual beauty (she has been portrayed as a girl and woman by actresses Patricia Neal, Tallulah Bankhead and Bette Davis—not woman considered pin-up beauties, but who possess an even rarer quality). A master in manipulation, she uses charm, seduction and sex to achieve her goals and attain her desires. In doing so, however, she has inadvertently created a “less than comfortable” relationship with her father. Her desire is to escape from this relationship by any means—going to Chicago, or marrying John Bagtry, a survivor of the Confederacy and her father’s enemy. Ben has plans for her to marry Horace Giddens and remain in town to create a dynasty. Whose plan will out? Stage age 20.
John Bagtry: He is loved by Regina, but he does not really love her. A tragic survivor of the war, he is unable to feel much emotion other than loss and heartache. He wants only one thing—to go back to war—any war. Regina’s plan is that they will run away to Chicago, get married, and after her father cools down they will return to live out their lives on her father’s fortune. John has no intention of marrying her, but Regina—not used to hearing the word “no”—is deaf to it. John plans to go to Brazil where there is a war going on, so he can relive the “glory days” as well as earn money for his families survival. Stage age mid 30s—40.
Birdie Bagtry: The surviving daughter of the family and John’s cousin. Her father and brothers were lost in the war, and she, John and her mother are trying to keep their cotton plantation, Lionnet, from falling into ruin. A nervous, naïve young woman, she comes to the Hubbard home to ask for a loan against the land to help save the business and her family. Her mother and John would be mortified to learn she was asking the Hubbards for anything, as they consider them the scourge of the earth. Ben wants to loan her the money, knowing it won’t help and he will end up owning the land and make money for himself, but Marcus stands in the way. Ben also has another plan—for Oscar to marry Birdie for the land. This, as we learn in The Little Foxes, does become her fate. Stage age 20s.
Laurette Sincee: A rather well known local prostitute (as we find out when John Bagtry greets her by name at a Hubbard party!), she is the love interest of Oscar—though it is a truly one-sided love. Described as “pig-faced cute”, Laurette sees in Oscar a simpleton she can control who stands to inherit a great deal of money, and as her ticket out of the life she leads. Oscar brings her home to an “evening of music” to meet her father, with disastrous results. She gets drunk, with the help of Ben, and speaks freely her contempt of the Hubbard family. Stage age 20s—30.
Harold Penniman: The cofounder of a music school, he and his partner Jugger are regular visitors to the Hubbard home for “evenings of music”. Marcus considers himself a great composer and musician, and these gentlemen encourage and compliment him—for money for their school. On this evening Marcus has a new composition which they play, along with other classical pieces, and these accomplished musicians ignore Marcus’s inept ability to keep the money flowing. These could be some great character roles and can be quite quirky (as many musicians are!!!) I could even see them played as a bit “swishy”. Stage age 20s—60s (very adaptable).
Gilbert Jugger: Penniman’s partner, he is a great musician and resents having to suck up to Marcus to get money. His contempt becomes more and more apparent throughout the evening as he has more and more to drink. As the evening disintegrates into a family conflict, Marcus insults the two and asks them to leave. Jugger, having had one drink too many, flares and lashes back. Penniman works to repair the damage as they leave. Stage age 20s—60s (adaptable).
Col. Simon Isham: A local war hero of distinction from nearby Roseville who was injured in the war and walks with a limp. He has been somewhat effected and faced loss, but is still well respected by all—except, of course, Marcus. As with most locals, he despises Marcus for his many crimes against humanity. He comes to Marcus to tell him about Oscar’s misdeeds with the local Klan members and the beating of a Roseville local. He is expectedly disrespected and dismissed, but has managed to make trouble for Oscar. Stage age 65—70s.
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