Supporting and Minor Characters (Performer's Life)



The following are a list of supporting and minor characters from A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes.

Crystal Zachary
Crystal is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is the girlfriend of Anna MacFadyen. She, like Anna, is an aspiring opera singer, and has a very deep singing voice. She is very shy and initially is hesitant to reveal her homosexuality to people. When she falls in love with Anna, she slips love notes under her door as a way of expressing her love; when she is caught in the act, she nervously confesses her feelings to Anna and the two pursue a relationship. In Phantom of the Opera, she portrays Carlotta Giudicelli; in the Into the Woods production, she plays Cinderella's mother; in Cinderella, she plays one of the female citizens.
 * The name Crystal comes from the English word crystal for the clear, colorless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The surname Zachary is the usual English form of Zacharias, used in some English versions of the New Testament, which is the Greek form of Zechariah, which is from the Hebrew name זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning "Yahweh remembers", from זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember" and יָה (yah) referring to the Hebrew God.

Ezra Tibbs

 * The name Ezra means "help" in Hebrew.

Christian Marks
Christian is a dynamic character in the novel A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. Initially, he starts out as a bully who is friends with Ezra, picking on Darius, Anna, and anyone else whom Ezra seems intent on targeting. However, after escaping from the Wolf-Masked Assassin and being comforted by Max, he is revealed to be a nervous, insecure person who only hangs out with Ezra and goes along with his plans out of fear of being targeted. After experiencing kindness and understanding from Max, he resolves to become a better person: he makes amends with his brother Larson and strives to make better friends. He also develops a crush on Max at one point, after seeing her performance in the Phantom production rehearsals, though he at first didn't realize it was her; after finding out, he accepts that she doesn't return his feelings and is comfortable being friends with her.
 * The name Christian comes from the Medieval Latin name Christianus meaning "a Christian", while the surname Marks is the Latvian form of Mark, which is a form of Marcus, which is the Roman praenomen, or given name, which was probably derived from the name of the Roman god Mars.

Patrick Blythe
Patrick is a minor foil character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. He is the ex-boyfriend of Max, and is shown to have been abusive toward her. He arrives at CMU in order to confront her about getting back together. After opening night of Phantom of the Opera, he confronts Max at knife point and attempts to rape her, but is incapacitated and killed by Darius.
 * The name Patrick is from the Latin name Patricius, which meant "nobleman", while the surname Blythe is from Old English, meaning "happy, joyous, blithe".

Mr. Torres
Mr. Torres is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is the headmaster (principal?) of Carnegie Mellon University. Though he initially seems like a slightly-arrogant, professional man (a front he seems to keep up for appearances), he is actually an understanding, kindly gentleman who is willing to believe a story until being given the benefit of the doubt. He seems to think highly of both Max and Greta due to their hard-working, dedicated natures, and considers them two of his best students.
 * The surname Torres is derived from the name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

Caden
Caden is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is Mr. Karpenter's assistant. On the first day of school, he befriends Max after defending her from Ezra and Christian. He likes to hang out with her during his free time and talk with her about her dream of Broadway. Because of this, Greta jokes that he is Max's boyfriend, though they both deny this. Despite this, it is hinted that he may have a romantic interest in her (mainly due to other characters' assumptions), though it's never outright revealed if this is true.
 * The name Caden is sometimes explained as a derivative of the Irish surname Caden, which is a reduced form of the Gaelic surname Mac Cadáin meaning "son of Cadán".

Quinn Baker
Quinn is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. He becomes Max's boyfriend sometime in the beginning of the Sophomore Year section due to their supposed shared interest in horror movies and their dreams of becoming Broadway performers. He at first seems to be supportive, kind, and sarcastic, though he sometimes questions Max on her not wanting to become intimate. After Max returns from her auditions for Phantom of the Opera, she catches Quinn kissing Elizabeth without her consent, and it's later revealed that he is a player and has actually been cheating on Max throughout the course of their relationship; he also doesn't have an interest in horror movies, having only said that in order to get her to like him. He is later attacked by Darius, which leaves his left hand paralyzed and gives him Anisocoria (one pupil is more dilated than the other). Following the attack, he and Max make amends and their working relationship is decidedly better. It's implied that he may still harbor feelings for her, though it's never revealed if this is true.

He is mentioned to have played Billy's dad in Billy Elliot and the male version of Belle in a genderbent production of A Christmas Carol; in Into the Woods, he plays Cinderella's Prince.
 * The name Quinn is from an Irish surname, as Anglicized form of Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of Conn" while the surname Baker comes from the occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Lupita Ricci
Lupita is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is the girlfriend of Zane Fourie. She is a polite, down-to-earth young woman who supports all her friends' (and Zane's) endeavors. She is the youngest in a family that runs a three-generation travelling circus (The Ricci Family Travelling Circus) that originated in Italy, and aspires to be the next star trapeze artist of said circus. According to her, the circus started after her great-grandfather gained inspiration from P.T. Barnum ; she also states that, upon the circus' arrival in America, it's rumored that P.T. Barnum actually attended, though she confesses she doubt's the rumor's authenticity. She is extremely skilled in gymnastics, aerial acrobatics, contortion, and ballet (really all types of dance, but mainly ballet), and has proved that she will more than likely become the star trapeze artist in her family's circus.

She is biracial, with her mother being Afro-Mexican and her father being Southern Italian.
 * The name Lupita is a diminutive of Guadalupe, which is the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe", while the surname Ricci comes from the Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair.

Zane Fourie
Zane is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is the boyfriend of Lupita Ricci. Similar to Max and Greta, he has a passion for performing in musical theatre and a dream to perform on Broadway. He is said to have met Lupita in high school, and that they planned to attend the same college courses together in order to spend more time together. He seems to hold his friendships in high regards, as shown when he comes to Max's defense after hearing Ezra threaten to rape her.

In Wicked, he plays Fiyero; in Cinderella, he plays Lord Pinkleton.
 * The name Zane is from an English surname of unknown meaning.

Jackson Danes
Jackson is a foil character towards Willow King in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. He is Willow's ex-boyfriend, having abused her physically, mentally, and sexually. He is responsible for Willow's black eyes, having roofied her and had her sclera tattooed black under the pretense of it being cool to "have sex with a demon". He arrives at the school after years of trying to track her down and, after tying her into a vulnerable position, attempts to rape her again. Fortunately, he is stopped by Max and is promptly taken into custody by the campus police; he is later attacked and killed by Darius.
 * The name Jackson is from an English surname meaning "son of Jack".

Rodel Garner
Rodel is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. He is a costume designer, and is most notable for the Elphaba costumes in the Wicked production. He has a dream of making costumes on Broadway, and appears to look forward to working with Max and Greta. For his finals project, he makes Greta his own version of Fantine's costume from Les Miserables.
 * The name Rodel is of French origin, meaning "famous ruler", while the surname Garner is from Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain".

Fallon Angels
Fallon is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. She is a costume designer, and is considered the most talented designer in the school. She is capable of crafting beautiful gowns almost flawlessly, and is usually tasked with making any (if not all) ballgowns. These include Glinda's gowns in Wicked, mainly Christine's dresses in Phantom, most of the gowns in Into the Woods, and many of the ballgowns in Cinderella. She states her inspiration to become a designer comes from Say Yes to the Dress; initially wanting to be a wedding dress designer, she opted to become a Broadway costume designer purely because it seemed more interesting. In Phantom, she acts as the mannequin/vision of Christine in the wedding gown because she shares the same measurements as Max.
 * The name Fallon comes from an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of Fallamhan", while the surname Angels is a variation of the given name Angel, which comes from the Medeival Latin masculine name Angelus, which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived from the Greek word αγγελος (angelos) meaning "messenger").

Ms. Solace
Ms. Solace is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. and a minor foil character for the Sophomore Year section. She is the Vocals teacher, and the director of the Phantom of the Opera production. However, she is more interested in recreating the movie than the actual Broadway show, and brushes off the cast and crew's complaints. She even threatens everyone with being replaced, demerit points, and possible expulsion if they don't go along with her plans. When she finds that everyone planned the actual show behind her back, she tears up the Final Lair wedding gown in a rage. Once Mr. Torres finds out about her actions, he places her on leave, to which she later quits.
 * The surname Solace comes from the English word, solace, meaning "comfort and consolation in a time of distress or sadness".

Mrs. Ivy Crane
Mrs. Ivy Crane (usually just called Ivy by Max and Greta) is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. She is the Dance instructor at Carnegie Mellon University. She becomes good friends with Max and Greta sometime after the Christmas Carnival Concert in the Sophomore Year segment due to Willy's instant fondness of them; their friendship develops to the point where the duo refer to her by her first name.
 * The name Ivy comes from the English word for the climbing plant that has small yellow flowers, which is ultimately derived from Old English ifig, while the surname Crane comes from the name of the bird.

Will "Willy" Crane
Will (or Willy) is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is Ivy Crane's young son. He is a very cheerful, fun-loving five-year-old boy. His first appearance in the novel is preceding the Christmas Carnival Concert, where he runs around the Philip Chosky Theatre in excitement, eventually running into Max and getting her to play with him. He immediately develops a liking towards Max after seeing her and Greta perform When Christmas Comes to Town from The Polar Express (it being his favorite movie). Following this, he is shown to become quite excited when seeing her, and often times greets her with a hug.
 * The name Will is a diminutive of William, which is from the Germanic name Willahelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection".

Alexander "Alex" Chamberlain
Alexander (or Alex) is a supporting character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and the replacement Vocals teacher after Ms. Solace quits. Despite identifying as male, Alex dresses in feminine clothing, and can be mistaken as female from afar; he also doesn't seem to care what others think of him. He becomes starstruck of Max after hearing about how she won the role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera, and confronts her to join his class. However, he's also shown to have a strict side, shown during the CMU Spring Concert, setting tight deadlines for the performers to be there and casting sharp glances at them for being loud.

Trinity Malone
Trinity is a minor character from A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. She is the leader of the Theatre Exercise Club. In Wicked, she plays a Denzian of Oz; in Into the Woods, she plays Florinda; in Cinderella, she plays one of the female citizens.
 * The name Trinity comes from the English word trinity, given in the Christian belief that God has one essence, but three distinct expressions of being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while the surname Malone is the Anglicized form of Irish Ó Maoil Eoin which means "descendant of a disciple of Saint John".

Derek
Derek is a minor character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is one of the stage managers for the production of The Phantom of the Opera. Though not much is shown about his personality, it's seen that he will use his intimidating appearance to defend women, seen when he scares Patrick off while the latter was harassing Max.
 * The name Derek comes from the older English name Dederick, which was in origin a Low German form of Theodoric, which comes from a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the people", derived from the elements theud "people" and ric "power, ruler".

Larson Marks
Larson is a minor character in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and is the brother of Christian Marks. Like Max and Greta, he is said to have a passion for musical theatre and dream to perform on Broadway. He is shown to be an exceptionally talented performer, as he's mentioned to have played Jean Valjean in a production of Les Miserables. He used to be bullied by Ezra and Christian due to his weight, though he eventually makes up with Christian after the latter reveals his determination to change himself for the better.

In Wicked, he plays Dr. Dillamond; in Phantom, he plays Ubaldo Piangi; in Cinderella, he plays Lord Chancellor Sebastian.

Mr. Karpenter

 * The surname Karpenter is a variation of the surname Carpenter, which comes from the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius, meaning "carriage maker").

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are minor characters in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, having more of a major role in the Junior Year segment. They are the parents of Darius and Elena, and are only shown in a couple flashbacks. Mrs. Anderson was shown to be a neglectful woman (mainly towards Darius), only focusing and doting on Elena; she shows almost no sympathy towards Darius. Mr. Anderson was shown to be a verbally abusive alcoholic, only interacting with his children part of the time. At one point, he comes home drunk and rapes Mrs. Anderson, which makes Darius become disgusted by the act. They are not shown or really even mentioned after the flashback, and it's shown that Darius and Elena try to avoid going back as much as possible. After Elena's death, they hold a memorial service, but they themselves are never mentioned much by any of the other characters.

Willow's Bandmates
Morgan, Andrea, Marco, and Charlene are minor characters in A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes, and are the members of Willow's band. Morgan is the drummer, and likes to flirt with cute girls (shown with both Greta and Max), though Willow often belittles him for this, and he mentions he constantly strikes out with women. Andrea (or Andi, as the group calls her) is the bassist, and is shown to have a minor interest in musical theatre. Marco is the lead guitarist, and doesn't talk much. And Charlene (or Charlie) is the keyboardist, and is shown to be somewhat apathetic and standoffish. They are first introduced in the Student Lounge with Willow, offering Mel Schultz and Kathy Abernathy to join the band. They are later shown again joining Willow, Max, and Greta in the Student Lounge for a horror movie marathon, with Charlie scolding Willow for bailing on their performance.

Juan
Juan is a minor character who appears in the epilogue of A Performer's Life Beyond the Drapes. He works as a carpenter, and is hired to build a mantle for Max's parents. He appears to be a polite, casual, and jovial man who loves engaging Max in conversation, though Max dislikes talking with him due to her trauma affecting her psychological well-being, as well as not really knowing him well. He unknowingly hires Darius (under the guise of Adam) as an assistant, and appears to enjoy lightly teasing him.
 * The name Juan is the Spanish and Manx of lohannes.

Trivia

 * Several of the characters' names seem ironic compared to their personalities/appearances
 * Both Ezra and Christian have Biblical names (Ezra meaning "help", Christian meaning "a Christian"), while both are antagonistic, bullying characters (though Christian eventually reforms and becomes friends with the main characters).
 * Patrick's full name roughly translates to "happy nobleman", while he himself is a rude, harassing, and relatively annoyed young man.
 * Lupita's surname Ricci means "curly" and is an Italian nickname for someone with curly hair; while Lupita's hair is slightly wavy, it's definitely not curly.
 * Ms. Solace's name means "comfort and consolation", while she herself is a very stressful, irritating, and demanding person.


 * Lupita is named after actress Lupita Nyong'o.