Casting · Open
Elena
Supporting · Female · Playing age 40s
Eva’s caring, observant mother and a professional social worker carrying an exhaustion she tries to hide.
Elena is Eva’s mother and a social worker. She is caring, observant and professional, but there’s an underlying exhaustion that she tries to hide. While Eva worries about how Elena is coping without her, we discover that Elena is dealing with problems of her own.
Elena · Scene breakdown
Scenes to prepare
Car
“The Conversation”
Eva and Elena drive together, joking about an old cassette and Eva’s father. Their conversation turns to Eva’s future and school applications before escalating into a painful argument.
Performance: Warm and familiar at first, then increasingly tense. Let Elena’s fear about Eva leaving surface underneath the argument.
Thrift store
“The Reconnection”
After their argument, Eva and Elena slowly reconnect while looking through clothes. A playful montage of ridiculous outfits, sunglasses, and leather jackets reveals the loving side of their relationship.
Performance: Playful, affectionate and relaxed. Show the easy bond between them returning without forcing the reconciliation.
Bathroom
“The Blood in the Sink”
Later that night, Elena notices blood in the sink while brushing her teeth. She pauses, concerned, then quickly washes it away and carries on as if nothing happened.
Performance: Quiet and restrained. The concern should register clearly before Elena hides it from herself and the audience.
Bedroom
“Sleepless”
Elena lies awake, staring at the ceiling before eventually closing her eyes. The quiet moment suggests she is carrying worries of her own.
Performance: Still, intimate and emotionally contained. Let the silence reveal what Elena will not say aloud.
Lana flashback
“The Social-Work Visit”
During Eva’s introduction of Lana, we see a younger Lana sitting beside Elena during a social-work visit, establishing their shared history.
Performance: Professional but compassionate. Elena should feel observant and quietly protective.
Kitchen
“The Letter”
Eva discovers Elena’s acceptance letter for school in Germany in the bin. Their confrontation becomes deeply personal, ending with Elena slapping Eva and Eva leaving the house.
Performance: Start defensive and controlled, then let the fear and hurt break through as Elena loses control.
Garden
“The Truth”
In the rain, Elena finally opens up about Eva’s father and the fear she felt becoming a mother so young. They embrace, and Elena gives Eva the letter she had hidden.
Performance: Open, vulnerable and deeply emotional. This is Elena finally choosing honesty over protection.