THE McCALLS |
THE ABERCROMBIES |
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BERNARD
Bernard McCall is a brilliant scientist in the field of artificial intelligence; now retired. Bernard was responsible for the development of the ground breaking—but subsequently disastrous—Augmented Intelligence Plus (©) technology, in collaboration with Ken Abercrombie and Abercrombie Industries back in the late '90s. Bernard is a bookworm: intellectual, withdrawn, and socially awkward. He's not unfriendly, however; Bernard simply prefers to be alone with a book than with people. Bernard now owns and runs a small second-hand bookstore on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bernard's Bookstore is the gathering place and local hangout for the extended McCall family, as well as for any left-leaning thinkers interested in opposing the right-wing establishment. [Bernard's Enneagram type is self-preservation 5] |
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KEN
Ken Abercrombie is the CEO of Abercrombie Industries, AI—the world's leading artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology company. He is extremely successful, and exceedingly wealthy. Ken is tall, athletic, boyishly handsome, ridiculous successful, and extraordinarily charismatic. He was elected to Congress in 2014, and is currently serving his second term as a member—and now the majority leader—of the House of Representatives. Ken has just been awarded the Partisan Party nomination for the 2020 US presidential elections, and he's deeply engrossed in the campaign; it's July, and Ken has a commanding lead in the polls. Ken Abercrombie also has a secret. He has a penchant for being dominated and disciplined by older women, and he is addicted to the pleasure this arouses in him. [Ken's Enneagram type is social 3] |
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The process of looking inside ourselves and carefully examining our moment-to-moment inner experience in order to discover our true nature is called self-inquiry; it is the way home.
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MRS CHU
Mrs Lola Chu is Bernard's upstairs neighbour. She is also his landlord, his housekeeper, and his best friend. Mrs Chu runs a successful cleaning business, Perfect Clean, which has franchises in all five boroughs of New Eden, as well as Jersey Shores and Atlantic City. Lola Chu is a tough, no-nonsense, second generation Chinese American woman who possesses a wicked, cynical sense of humour. She's deeply interested in all things political, and, as an enthusiastic activist, she is often involved in lobbying for various political and environmental issues. Her chief passion, however, is saving the planet—and the human race—from destruction through global warming. Lola ran for elected office in 1992, but a public scandal resulted in a humiliating defeat which deflated Mrs Chu's passion for politics for many years. Mrs Chu is interested in Buddhism, Kabbalah, Sufism, and Non-Duality. She meditates, and hosts regular video Satsang meetings in Bernard’s Bookstore. [Mrs Chu's Enneagram type is social 1] |
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FAYE
Faye Abercrombie is Ken's wife, and the powerhouse behind his successful business and political careers. She is extremely capable, kind, and helpful. Faye is also a Yale law graduate. If she had a secret superpower it would be the ability to spin gold from straw. Faye is shorter than the average American woman, but she is classically pretty, as well as being extremely chic and stylish: Chanel suits, twin-sets, court shoes, pearls, etc. She is the devoted mother of twins, Alex and Eve, who are now in their early 20s. Faye regularly hosts charity fundraisers, and, as potential future First Lady and Vice President, she has just started her own charity—Let's All Get Along (LAGA)—aimed at achieving universal world peace through promoting eye gazing, hugging, and laughter. The Abercrombie residence is one of the twin penthouses of a distinctive art deco building on Central Park West. Faye runs the household like an expensive Swiss watch: precise, efficient, and reliable. [Faye's Enneagram type is self-preservation 2] |
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"Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakens."
— Carl Jung |
ANGEL O
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At birth, Beyond the Mirror's protagonist, Angelo Williams, was pronounced to be a boy. The doctor responsible for this decision knew nothing of intersex, hermaphroditism, or human chimerism; the year, 1964.
Growing up, Angelo always knew that he wasn't like other boys. It wasn't until puberty hit, however, that the full truth of the situation was revealed: Angelo was both a boy and a girl, both male and female . . . a true hermaphrodite. After this revelation Angelo slowly began allowing his female half, Angel, to be expressed more and more. A few years later Angelo received a mysterious message urging him to become a doctor, and he received a scholarship to attend medical school. After decades of working in the medical field, Angel decided it was time for her to revive her childhood passion of music, and she became a cabaret performer. By day, Dr Angelo Williams is a successful neurosurgeon based in New Jersey. He is competent, kind, compassionate, and extremely well respected within his profession. Angelo is a handsome, fit, muscular, but also shy and introverted, 'man.' He is left-brain dominant, logical, rational, and smart. By night, Angel is the star of the The Garden Cabaret. Here she is vivacious, playful, full of joie-de-vivre, and much loved by everyone. Angel is a voluptuous, full-figured, sexy, confident 'woman.' She is right-brain dominant, bubbly, creative, and spontaneous. Angel O—the name that Angelo and Angel progressively adopted as their female and male halves became more fully integrated—is great friends with Bernard and Adam McCall, and Mrs Lola and William Chu. S/he lived in the Lower East Side apartment building they all shared for almost 20 years. [Angelo's Enneagram type is sexual 4; Angel's Enneagram type is social 2] |
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Once we see clearly how we're causing our own suffering, and once we consciously stop the forward momentum of our mind for just a moment—1/12th of a second, Papaji would say—then our true nature can be revealed in a flash of insight, and we can awaken, spiritually speaking.
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ADAM
Adam McCall is Bernard's son. He is unaware of his mother's true identity, mistakenly believing that she died in childbirth. Adam is muscular, strong, and handsome; he spends a lot of time at the gym. He thinks he's charming, but in truth Adam is more goofy than charming. Adam is currently working as a back-up dancer alongside Angel O at The Garden Cabaret (or TGC, as it's known to its inner circle). Adam would like to think that he's motivated by idealistic goals of making the world a better, healthier, more ethical, and safer place—his hero is Captain America—but in reality he's a little too lazy and self-absorbed to actually achieve anything useful in life, and he is also frequently paralysed by fear and doubt whenever he has to make a decision about anything. Adam is addicted to bodybuilding, adrenaline rushes, pornography, sex, and his own reflection. He is also a nudist. [Adam's Enneagram type is, clearly, the sexual 6] |
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EVE
Eve Abercrombie is currently living at home with her parents, Ken and Faye, following a suicide attempt two years ago. Eve is melancholy and lost. She's addicted to tranquillisers, shopping, and social media. One of the triggers for Eve's suicide attempt was being suddenly and unceremoniously dumped by her college boyfriend of three years, who announced out of the blue that he was to marry his childhood sweetheart. Eve has just started working part-time as a hostess at The Dark Side (TDS)--the BDSM cabaret owned and run by her father's mistress, Lobida. Eve's former nanny and best friend, Yantra, is now the manager of TDS Eve is a singer/dancer/actress, but she is shy, lacks confidence, and doesn't believe that she has any talent. Yantra is encouraging Eve to start performing at TDS to try and boost her self-esteem. Ken is supportive of the plan, but Faye—who is bitter about Ken's ongoing relationship with Lobida—is vehemently opposed to it. [Eve's Enneagram type is sexual 4] |
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"In the end it's very simple. Either we give ourselves to silence or we don't."
— Adyashanti |
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WILLIAM
William Chu is Mrs Chu's only child. He's a restless soul who is often away from home traveling around the country, and around the globe, seeking fun and adventure. William is eternally optimistic and a natural entertainer; he's a part-time stand-up comic. His other passions are snowboarding, abseiling, surfing, and all extreme sports. At present William is doing his stand-up comedy routine at TGC for a few months until he is able to travel to Australia, where he plans to work with a shark cage diving company. William is a cheeky young Asian man of medium height and slim build, and he has long, jet-black hair that he wears in a ponytail. William and Adam grew up together from the time they were very young, they were inseparable as children, and they got into all sort of trouble together. They are still the best of friends. [William's Enneagram type is social 7] |
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YANTRA
Yantra Srinavasan was born in New Jersey in the late '60s. She narrowly escaped being killed in a car accident on her 21st birthday whilst deeply inebriated. Thanks to AA she has been sober ever since. Yantra was employed by the Abercrombie's as Eve and Alex's live-in nanny from their birth until when they were in their early teens. She is Eve's best friend in the world, and her confidante. Yantra is warm and nurturing, a natural mother. She is naturally funny, can be extremely lazy and stubborn, and she has a fierce temper when provoked. Yantra is now the chief hostess and manager of TDS. She's also Lobida's secret lesbian lover; they've recently started living together in an apartment in Harlem. Yantra is a curvy, sexy, Rubenesque woman; her father was South Asian, her mother German. [Yantra's Enneagram type is sexual 9] |
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Arrogance and self-loathing are the polarised—inflated and deflated—lenses the world is seen through when ego is the centre of experience. Humility and self-love is the undivided lens the world is seen through when consciousness is the centre.
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LOBIDA
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Zoe Parker, Beyond the Mirror's principal antagonist, loudly rejected her stiflingly rich family and their privileged lifestyle from the youngest age. As soon as she was able, Zoe left Boston and her family and moved to New Eden City to start a career as an actress.
After an embarrassing public scandal erupted in New Eden, Zoe moved to Los Angeles, and changed her name to Lucinda. She became a celebrated Hollywood actress during the '00s, winning an Academy Award for a much-lauded role portraying Benazir Bhutto in 2006. After winning her Oscar, Lucinda quit the movies and moved back to New Eden to pursue her other life's calling: becoming a dominatrix. Here she changed her name for a second time, this time to Lobida. Later that year Lobida met Ken Abercrombie, and soon afterwards he made her his exclusive mistress. The main condition of the contract that was signed at the time was that Lobida be given the title and deed to premises where she could combine her two life passions: BDSM and performing. The Dark Side opened on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 2009, and is hugely successful; repressed sin and debauchery apparently rife in this prosperous neighbourhood. Genetically Zoe/Lucinda/Lobida is pure Mayflour, but deep in her soul she's pure Latino. She is strong-willed, loud, larger than life, and she has commanding presence. Lobida also has an insatiable appetite for life's sensual pleasures, and a palpable dark side. [Zoe/Lucinda/Lobida's Enneagram type is sexual 8] |
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"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
— John Keats |
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AMIR
Amir Wahim is a graduate student of Political Science at NEU. He was born in Paris of Syrian parents—academic professors of architecture (mother) and philosophy (father)—who had fled their home country in search of a better life. Amir is smart, kind, and helpful, but he is also prone to debilitating anxiety. His passions are poetry and politics, and he is a practising Muslim. Amir works part-time at Bernard's Bookstore, and he lives in the small studio that is at the back of the store, behind the stacks of books. He has quickly become great friends with Bernard, Adam, William, and particularly Mrs Chu—he loves her clear political opinions. Amir attends the video Satsang meetings, and has quickly grown to be inspired by them. Amir met Angel O at a Satsang retreat, and they have been lovers ever since. [Amir's Enneagram type is self-preservation 6] |
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ALEX
Alex Abercrombie is Eve's twin brother. He bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Eve: slim, athletic, light brown curly hair, average height, cute face, glasses. Unlike his sister, however, Alex is outgoing, friendly, and confident. He is also hardworking and ambitious. Alex is gay, and he is currently working as a backup dancer at The Garden Cabaret while he puts himself through medical school at NEU. His relationship with his father is currently strained as Ken had wanted Alex to publicly deny his sexuality in order to keep the family image untarnished for the upcoming presidential elections. Alex leaked the story to the left-wing, Egalitarian Party-supporting press, and caused a minor scandal. Alex now lives in a small apartment near the corner of Bleecker Street and Broadway, NOHO. [Alex's Enneagram type is sexual 3] |
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As awakening deepens, we realise that we're not individuals with life inside of us, but that we're a tiny aspect of life within the totality of life. Experientially then everything flips inside-out, and there's no longer any separation between us and everything else. This is the experience of unity, or oneness.
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BEGGAR
A non-speaking role, the beggar can be played by either a male or a female, be any age, and any race. S/he appears repeatedly throughout the play, often in the background of the action, and is usually ignored by the other characters. Throughout the play the beggar may give various characters pieces of paper with short phrases or questions written on them that may catalyse or clarify the action. The beggar represents the awakened, Self-realized mind, and is Bernard in disguise. |
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"When you know who the characters are and what they want, when you root hard for them all night, you are set up to have the greatest creators reach right past your intellectual faculties at the last minute and press down hard on that joy buzzer that lurks in the back part of your brain. When they do, your spirit levitates, just like Peter Pan heading out the window to Neverland."
— Jack Viertel: The Secret Life of the American Musical. |
