295N

One Act
Short Play
4f, 3m

Overview

Six young Northern Virginia students find themselves thrust into a complex world, a world made of poetry, reenactments, the guiding words of Frederick Douglass, and the personal experiences of the students themselves. The heart of this complex world is the death of Freddie Gray, an event that forces each of these students to confront their own relationships with issues of race. As one young African American student, Jasen, finds himself compelled to seek justice, the others are forced to confront how close to home the issues of Baltimore actually are.

Casting & Production

Casting

CHARACTERS (4F, 3M)

JASEN — Male, 17yo, African American. A student. Smart. Thoughtful. Passionate. Unsettled.

JAYNE — Female or non-binary, 17yo, white. A student. Smart. Aware. Focused— maybe too much at times.

LIZZIE: — Female, 17yo, white. A student. Smart. Accomplished. Sheltered.

DARLENE — Female, 17yo, African. A student. Observant. Private, quiet, with a lot going on underneath the surface.

DJ — Male, 17yo, white. A student. Hiding some things that he shouldn’t have to hide.

LENA — Female or non-binary, 17yo, African American. A student. A spoken word poet. An activist.

MR. COOPER — Male, Anywhere between mid-20s and mid-50s.

Setting:
Northern VA
April 2015