Alejandro has revolutionized student government at his Pennsylvania high school and changed it for the better,
so when he unexpectedly resigns from being student body president halfway through his senior year, the entire school
is shaken. Who will take over? Who should take over? This exciting play looks at the ways we contribute to our
community, the power of the vote, and what it means to be a United States citizen.
Cast of Characters (16 Actors)
THE 12TH GRADERS
ALEJANDRO— 17yo, male, Latino. A natural leader. Being an activist has always been at the core of who he is. What happens when that core shatters into pieces?
XI (Zee) — 18yo, female or non-binary, Black. Has determined that her/their journey through life must, and will, leave a very powerful set of footprints behind.
STAN— 17yo, male, white. Alejandro’s best friend. Has always slid by on his popularity. One of those people who thinks that they’ve reached their full potential.
NICOLE (NIC) — 17yo, female or non-binary, white. Thinks she/they can change the world, not shy about it, and believes it’s a worthy, important, and achievable goal.
FISHER— 17yo, male or non-binary, any race. He/They will survive high school without too many scars but will not return for visits, and the only reunion he/they will ever go to is his/their 20th just to see if how everyone turns out matches how he/they thinks they will.
THE 11TH GRADERS
ELENA — 16yo, female, Latina. A bright light. Determined.
EMMA — 16yo, female or non-binary, any race. A very good friend. Caring, kind, with occasional bouts of anxiety.
GRACE— 16yo, female, any race. Vice President of student government. Has been dating Stan since she was in 9th Grade. Has what many call a harmed life and grateful for it but desperate for a shake-up.
JORDAN— 16yo, female or non-binary, any race. Does what needs to be done to get through high school. Biding her/their time ‘til she/they can get out and start “real life.”
THE 10TH GRADERS
AVA— 15yo, female or non-binary, any race. One of those people who feels an incredible need and pressure to succeed even when she/they are succeeding brilliantly.
MALIK— 15yo, male or non-binary, Black. Finding him/them self. And finding it powerfully.
THE 9TH GRADERS
IMANI— 14yo, female, Black. Finding her/their way. Searching.
STEWIE— 14yo, male or non-binary, any race. People think they know him/them, but they don’t know him/them at all.
THE FACULTY
MS./MR./MX. DELUCA — 30s, any gender, any race. An excellent
teacher of American History. Understands her/his/their students well
and knows how she/he/they has to be for each of them, whether that
be a teacher, a taskmaster, a counselor, or a confidante (in the script Ms. is used because that was the casting in the original production. Simply change the courtesy title to fit your casting.)
Time: December 2019
Place: A High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Author
Joe Calarco is a multi-award-winning director and playwright. He has served as Director of New Works at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, and as Resident Playwright at Expanded Arts, Inc. He was a Joseph Papp Artist in Residence at Second Stage, is one of New York Theatre Workshop’s “usual suspects,” is a Drama League directing fellow, is an Associate Artist at Barrington Stage Company, and is a member of The Dramatists Guild. Joe’s current works include I Am Rafiq (w/ collaborators Mohamad Alrefai and Kholoud Sawaf), The Circus in Winter (book writer w/ composer/lyricist Ben Clark), A Rhythmic Me (stage musical and screenplay, w/ collaborators Jared Grimes and Mark Meadows), and Spring Break (second in Joe’s series of plays for teens which follows the same 19 students through a year of their lives which starts with the currently published Winter Break). Published Works: Shakespeare’s R&J (Broadway Licensing/Dramatists Play Service - Lucille Lortel Award winner, produced in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Israel, Brazil, Peru, China, South Korea), Walter Cronkite is Dead (Broadway Licensing/Dramatists Play Service, Best Stage Monologues of 2013), In the Absence of Spring (Broadway Licensing/Playscripts - inaugural production of Second Stage’s New Plays Uptown series, Best Stage Scenes of 2004), two collections of plays for...[FULL BIO]