CHARACTER CARDS
Asterisks indicate the size and complexity of each part: the more asterisks, the bigger the part.
Make Up Artist 1****
Geoff Gridges***
You are a Hollywood make up artist. You are currently working on the set of the movie
‘True Grit’, a cowboy film set in the Wild West. Geoff Gridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a
gruff U.S. Deputy Marshal, Joss Prolin plays a killer called Tom Chaney and Natt Ramon
plays a Texas Ranger who helps track the killer down.
You are a famous Hollywood actor. You are currently working on a movie called ‘True Grit’;
it is a cowboy film set in the Wild West. The film has an all star cast and is directed by the
famous Boen Brothers. You play Rooster Cogburn, a gruff U.S. Deputy Marshal. You have
been hired to bring to justice a killer called Tom Chaney (played by Joss Prolin). Natt Ramon
plays a Texas Ranger who helps you track him down.
Geoff believes the film is good history and an accurate reflection of life in the American
West, but you are not convinced. You set out to test various sources to see if you can get a
more balanced judgement.
You are convinced that the film is a realistic portrayal of what life in the Wild West was really
like.
Costume: jeans and a casual top
Costume: jeans, cowboy boots, check shirt, leather waistcoat, Marshal’s badge
Props: blusher brush
Props: six shooter
Ian Vestigate**
Sheldon Shufelt*
You are a TV presenter working with Ann Achronism and Elle Dorado on the story of the
Wild West.
You are a ‘49er, originally from New York city. You were a trained chemist, but when you
heard that gold had been discovered in California, you joined a wagon train and crossed the
Great Plains to make your fortune.
You are on the Oregon Trail following the Gold Rush across America, but the journey is so
difficult that you decide to settle on the Great Plains and become a Homesteader instead.
Unfortunately you settle in Johnson County and get caught up in the Johnson County Wars
between the homesteaders and the cattle barons.
Costume: Scene 2: a smart newsreader outfit. Scene 6, ragged old clothes
Props: Scene 6: a sod house made from a shoe box or some Lego
You have since discovered that life in a mining town is brutal and violent. You write to your
cousin about your experiences; quotes from your letters appear in this script.
Because you write private letters to someone you know very well, the chances are that what
you say reflects your honest opinion; this makes you a reliable primary source for the make up
artists, who are trying to find out how lawless it was in the Wild West.
On the other hand, your comments are only about Placerville, the part of California you lived
in; things may have been different in other areas. Your comments are backed up when the
make up artists find sources written by miners in other areas who complain about the
lawlessness there. These sources confirm that your comments are reliable.
Costume: scruffy clothes suitable for mining
Props: a pickaxe
You are a real historical character