Fun Home
Medium Alison : Female, 16-20
a freshman at Oberlin College, discovering her sexuality; an incredibly well-
read, hyper-intelligent teenager; her uncertainty about who she is makes her
socially awkward at times; must be a strong singer who can move seamlessly in
vocal quality from speech to song; strong mix-belt to C and effortless mix to E.
Christian: Male, 10-15
Alison’s older brother; oldest of the three children; strives to be the leader, but
is sometimes overshadowed by Alison’s strong personality; seeking a singer
(pre-pubescent) with a natural sound, good sense of harmony and pitch.
John: Male, 6-9
Alison’s younger brother; like most boys his age, he is full of energy with a
quirky imagination; looks up to his siblings; seeking a singer with a natural
sound, good sense of harmony and pitch.
Bruce: Male, 40-49
high-school English teacher, funeral home director, spends his spare time on
the historic restoration of his home; complex man with a hot temper as a result
of years of repression; can be caring and attentive to his children but is also
quick to anger; must be a strong singer who can move seamlessly in vocal
quality from speech to song; range B to G.
Roy/Pete/Mark/Bobby/Jeremy: Male, 20-30
Roy, a young man Bruce hires to do yard work; Pete, a mourner who visits the
funeral home; Mark, a high school junior; Bobby Jeremy, the lead singer of a
band in Alison’s imagination; singer with a strong clean 70s pop sound - to a B.
Older Alison: Female, 30-49
narrator; now a self-aware adult, she is able to reflect insightfully on her own life
and her relationship with her father before his tragic death; must be a strong
singer who can move seamlessly in vocal quality from speech to song; range =
low E to light belt C sharp.
Helen: Female, 30-39
Alison’s mother; frustrated, exhausted by her tumultuous marriage; has spent
her life trying to be a good mother and wife while turning a blind eye to the
irreverent activities of her husband; must be a strong singer who can move
seamlessly in vocal quality from speech to song; range = A flat to strong mixed
E.
Joan: Female, 18-20
student at Oberlin; exudes a confident, sexual energy, with a dry sense of
humor; unlike Alison, Joan is very comfortable in her skin and openly identifies
as a lesbian; must be comfortable with harmony singing, alto lines.
Small Alison: Female, 8-10
Alison Bechdel as a child; precocious and opinionated; on the cusp of finding
herself and forming her own views on how a girl her age should behave and
dress; confident and intelligent; strong singer who can move seamlessly in
vocal quality from speech to song, natural sound, B to B.
