POTUS

Character Descriptions (listed in their order of appearance):

• HARRIET: THE CHIEF OF STAFF (Late 40s – Early 60s)
  The ultimate political fixer. Brilliant, relentless, tightly wound, and running entirely on caffeine, panic, and polling data. She has sacrificed nearly everything — relationships, joy, sleep, probably basic human emotion — in service to her career and keeping the administration from imploding.A master strategist and crisis manager who thrives under pressure, she commands every room she enters and expects everyone else to keep up. Dry wit, razor-sharp timing, and the ability to pivot from terrifying authority to complete exasperation in seconds are essential.This role requires exceptional comedic timing, strong physical stamina, and an actor who can balance high-status authority with the absurdity of increasingly chaotic situations. Comfortable handling stage weapons and smoking (prop/effect) onstage.

   

  Think: the woman actually running the country while everyone else loses their minds.

• JEAN: THE PRESS SECRETARY (Late 30s – Early 60s)
  Fast-talking, hyper-alert, and operating at DEFCON 1 at all times. A master spinner of headlines and political disasters, she can walk into a hostile press briefing and somehow leave with applause — or at least survive long enough to make it to the next crisis.Sharp, polished, and deeply cynical beneath the professional exterior, she has spent years cleaning up messes created by people with far more power and far less competence. Equal parts strategist, spokesperson, and exhausted working mother, she survives on adrenaline, coffee, and pure anxiety.This role requires impeccable comedic timing, rapid-fire delivery, strong physical comedy instincts, and the ability to shift instantly between composed professionalism and total panic. A character who weaponizes competence while quietly unraveling inside.

   

  Think: the smartest person in the briefing room desperately trying to keep the circus from catching fire.

• STEPHANIE: THE PRESIDENTIAL SECRETARY (Early 30s – Early 60s)
  Brilliant, anxious, painfully overprepared, and one minor inconvenience away from a complete emotional collapse. She is the gatekeeper to the most powerful person in the world — and somehow still apologizes when other people bump into her.A deeply intelligent staffer trapped beneath layers of imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and chronic panic, she desperately wants to do everything right while surrounded by people making catastrophically bad decisions. Though often overlooked or underestimated, she may quietly be the most capable person in the building. 

   

  This role requires exceptional comedic instincts, strong physical comedy skills, and an actor comfortable with vulnerability, emotional escalation, and fast-paced farce. The character spends portions of the show in intentionally absurd and vulnerable situations, requiring fearlessness and total commitment to the comedy.

  Think: an overachiever desperately trying to survive her workday while the entire government implodes around her.

• DUSTY: THE PRESIDENT’S “SPECIAL FRIEND” (Early 20s – Early 30s)
  Charming, magnetic, wildly uninhibited, and far smarter than people initially assume. She arrives at the White House starry-eyed and optimistic, genuinely believing in public service and the power of leadership… until reality hits hard.Fearlessly sex-positive, emotionally open, and completely comfortable taking up space, she becomes the center of a political firestorm after a very inconvenient personal revelation sends the administration into panic mode. Beneath the bubbly exterior is a deeply perceptive young woman beginning to realize she’s surrounded by people using her as both a scapegoat and a distraction.This role requires a fearless comedic actor with strong movement ability, excellent physical comedy instincts, and the confidence to command attention the moment she enters the room. Comfortable with suggestive costuming, dancing, and high-energy farce. Singing skills are a plus.

   

  Think: a walking headline with the energy of a golden retriever who accidentally wandered into a constitutional crisis.

• BERNADETTE: THE PRESIDENT’S SISTER (Late 30s – Late 50s)
  A walking disaster with unbelievable charisma. Brash, rebellious, shameless, and utterly unpredictable, she storms through the White House like she owns it — which, technically, she kind of does.Fresh out of prison and awaiting a long-promised presidential pardon, she has absolutely no respect for political decorum, personal boundaries, or basic impulse control. Beneath the swagger and chaos is someone fiercely intelligent, oddly perceptive, and strangely capable of solving problems nobody else can.This role requires a bold comedic actor with commanding stage presence, razor-sharp timing, and complete fearlessness. Comfortable with big physical comedy, explosive energy shifts, smoking (prop/effect) onstage, and embracing the character’s unapologetically chaotic nature.

   

  Masculine energy strongly encouraged, allowing for a close resemblance to the unseen Commander-in-Chief.

  Think: if a political scandal became a person and then offered you a cigarette.

• CHRIS: THE WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (Early 30s – Early 40s)
  Smart, relentless, exhausted, and hanging on by a thread. A seasoned political journalist chasing the biggest story of her career while simultaneously navigating single motherhood, sleep deprivation, and the impossible balancing act of being expected to do everything perfectly.Embedded within the chaos of the White House press corps, she knows there’s a scandal brewing and refuses to let it slip away — even as everyone around her scrambles to bury it. Fiercely ambitious but deeply human, she’s trying to prove she still belongs in an industry that constantly threatens to replace women the moment life gets complicated.This role requires exceptional comedic timing, emotional honesty, and an actor capable of balancing sharp journalistic instincts with mounting personal exhaustion. Comfortable with physical comedy and the realities of postpartum motherhood played openly and unapologetically onstage.

   

  The role is written for a Black actor.

  Think: a reporter chasing a Pulitzer while running on caffeine, adrenaline, and approximately twelve minutes of sleep.

• MARGARET: THE FIRST LADY (Late 40s – Early 60s)
  Elegant, intimidating, razor-sharp, and fully aware she is the smartest person in nearly every room she enters. An Ivy League-educated attorney with poise, polish, and precision, she has spent years standing beside a man vastly less competent than herself — and she’s getting very tired of it.Publicly, she is the picture of grace, intelligence, and excellence. Privately, she is carrying an extraordinary amount of rage, disappointment, and barely restrained ambition. She knows exactly how politics works, exactly how power operates, and exactly how much of herself she has sacrificed to maintain the illusion.This role requires a commanding actor with exceptional verbal dexterity, strong comedic instincts, and the ability to pivot effortlessly between regal composure and explosive fury. Comfortable with high-status authority, biting humor, and handling a stage weapon.

   

  The role is written for a Black actor.

  Think: if a constitutional law professor, a political strategist, and a woman at the absolute end of her patience became one person.