Details
Union:
Union
Area of media:
Short Film
Network:
Paid?:
Yes
Rates:
ACTRA Tier 3 Low Budget - Principal - $245.00 // Actor - $204.00.
Deadline:
Aug 14, 2026
Shooting starts:
Early October TBC
Shooting locations:
GTA
Cities for response:
Toronto
Storyline
After their mother dies in a car accident, two teen sisters must decide what to do with her piano. In the year 2000, teens Livi and Maddie grieve the sudden death of their single Mom, a piano teacher. Their aunt Sue comes to look after them and she plans to dispose of Mom's piano in due time. Despite the piano physically resembling the casket, the girls don't feel ready to part it. As Livi's violent mood swings take a stranglehold on the family, the girls grasp at whatever distractions they think might cure their grief. When Sue decides to sell the piano to the next-door neighbour, Maddie purposefully sets the piano on fire in the backyard, with help from Livi. In destroying the piano, they find emotional release.
Roles
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | LIVI | Female 16 - 20 Years old |
Description Female, 14 to 20 years old, Korean. Olivia “Livi” Ye-rin Kim (14 years old) is a passionate and impulsive teen who resists showing her vulnerability after her mother's death. She's not someone who's afraid to say what's on her mind. The beloved baby of the once 3-piece single-mom family, she's energetic and active and has an assertive attitude that can command the room. When her volatile moods get in the way of coping with grief, she relies on her older sister Maddie – the only person who can lead this fiery teen... LEAD. **Ideally looking for someone a minimum of 16 years old for this role to play younger - but open to casting a minor.** | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Lead | MADDIE | Female 16 - 22 Years old |
Description 16 to 22 years old; Korean. Madeline “Maddie” Min-young Kim (16 years old) is an observant, methodical, and intelligent teen who responds to her mother’s death with numbness. As the eldest daughter of a Korean immigrant family, she knows how to roll up her sleeves and look after the household. She has complex feelings about her place in the once 3-piece family, but her heart is big enough to contain them all. She knows her sister Livi well – perhaps better than Livi knows herself – and brings them to relief... LEAD. **Ideally looking for someone 17-18 years old who has finished high school for this role to play younger - but we are open to casting a minor. Minimum 16 years old.** | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Principal | SUE | Female 45 - 55 Years old |
Description Female, 45 to 55 years old, Korean. Korean accent & Korean speaking skills are a plus. Sue Su-gyeong Choi (50 years old), a Korean immigrant and childless woman grieving her younger sister’s death, is fatigued at the prospect of now having to raise her two teen nieces. As the eldest sister herself, Sue is familiar with the burden of taking care of family – but she’s not coping very well now and resorts to self-medicating, switching back and forth between cigarettes and pricey herbal medicines. She makes the decision to sell off the piano that once belonged to her sister, triggering her nieces to react... PRINCIPAL. | ||
| Role type | Role | Gender & Age range |
| Actor | MOM | Female 35 - 45 Years old |
Description Female, 35 to 45 years old; Korean. A single mother, Korean (45 years old) who immigrated to Canada more than a decade ago, Mom is a resilient woman with a carefree spirit who finds joy and expression when playing improvisational jazz – her favourite genre – on the piano. Known as “Ms. Choi” to her students, she makes income as a music and piano teacher to support her family of 3. She treats her two daughters differently, but might not realize it... ACTOR ROLE. **Must adequately play the piano. If actor can provide a reel of them playing a piano piece that is a plus.** NOTE: We will not see this actor’s face. | ||