FATHER KENNETH FURBANKS
is a celebrated Sylvanian actor and the winner of many awards. They are all kept in full view on his mantlepiece and he regulary runs his finger over them to check that they have been properly dusted! Of course, pride of place is always given to his most prestigious awards, the ones he won for The Taming of the Squirrel and The Merchant of Sylvania. He has always taken acting awfully seriously, but nowadays he also likes to spend his time directing! He can think of nothing better than sitting on a black canvas chair with his name on the back and ordering other actors around in his big booming voice! He hopes that one day he will win an award for this too!
MOTHER EMMA FURBANKS
is also a famous actress and met her husband when they were in the same play together. She likes to behave as though she is on the stage even when she is not, always behaving in a very theatrical way and speaking in a soft breathy voice. She calls everyone 'darling' or 'lovey' and that is because she is always so busy trying to remember her lines that she forgets everyone's names! Her children have got used to it by now, but her husband still gets very cross about it. In fact he simply refuses to answer her unless she addresses him as Kenneth!
SISTER GRETA FURBANKS
has the acting bug too. Luckily she is just as talented as her father and always gets the leading role in the school plays. Unfortunately she has also got a bad memory like her mother so she has to spend a lot of time alone getting on with the serious business of learning her lines. The only way she can remember all the words is if she repeats them over and over again, which can certainly get a little boring for her friends. The moment they hear her start to recite any of her speeches, they scarper as fast as they can!
BROTHER DOUGLAS FURBANKS
is also known as Junior. He spends most of his time in an imaginary world of his own – a world populated by pirates, white knights and fire-breathing dragons. He particulary enjoys dressing up in colourful costumes and often jumps out on his poor sister waving a plastic sword or wearing a black patch over one eye. Thankfully Greta loves her brother so much that she doesn't mind at all. Sometimes she even agrees to dress up as a damsel in distress and allow her brother to rescue her!
BABY RAY or JIM FURBANKS
have literally been born into the acting profession – and love it! They haven't had any speaking parts yet as they are too young, but they certainly have great fun playing with all the make-up and face paints. If someone isn't watching them very carefully, this naughty group will soon cover themselves from head to toe in bright colours. Apart from that, they are very good and never cry or make a fuss while their parents are performing on stage.
