Nice Nails

In a nail salon on the outskirts of New York City, immigrant ladies spend their days toiling like servants over the fingers and toes of obnoxious customers. This modest shop is the livelihood of a Korean-American family, who dream of making it big in America—or, really, just scraping by, especially now that the new salon next to the Whole Foods down the street is siphoning off their customers. As word spreads of labor department crackdowns, the salon owners’ daughter fights to modernize this tired establishment, all while growing captivated by a new customer who is not like the others, forcing her to examine the value of identity, government regulations, and Disney movies.  

Cast: 
Ariel: Late forties/early fifties, female, Korean-American. Co-owner of Nice Nail, with her husband Maurice. Thick Korean accent. Her real name is Hyeon-Jin (賢振). Maurice: Late forties/early fifties, male, Korean-American. Co-owner of Nice Nail, with his wife Ariel. Thick Korean accent. His real name is Min-Gyeong (敏敬). Jasmine: Twenties, female, Korean-American. Maurice’s and Ariel’s daughter and de facto Nice Nail employee. The slightest of Korean accents. Her real name is Jeong-Sook (正淑). Nomfundo: Twenties-forties, female, black South African. New Nice Nail employee. Thick Zulu accent. Helene: Late seventies/early eighties, female, Jewish-American, white. Longtime, loyal Nice Nail customer. Thick New York Jewish accent, originally from the Bronx. Either dyes her hair or wears a wig—not gray or white. Jacob: Late twenties, transmasculine, Jewish-American, white. Helene’s grandson and new Nice Nail customer. Very slight New York accent. Has a mohawk or some funky hair color, like green. Alyssa*: Twenties/thirties, female, American, any ethnicity. Nice Nail customer. Hair long, half-up. Lydia*: Early forties, female, American, any ethnicity. Nice Nail customer. Hair long, a hot frizzy mess. Rachel*: Thirties, female, American, any ethnicity. Nice Nail customer. Hair long, in a tight pony. Eve*: Thirties/forties, female, American, any ethnicity. Nice Nail customer. Hair long, down, flowy. Katy*: Late twenties, female, American, any ethnicity. NY State Deptartment of Labor investigator. Hair long, in her face and her eyes and her mouth. Charlotte*: Forties/fifties, female, English, any ethnicity. Nice Nail customer. Hair short, posh. * = these roles are played by the same actor
Authors: 
Aaron Ricciardi