Book by Kenzie Knapp
Music by Duncan Kass,
Sasha Zhang,
Kleo Klaumentzer,
and Skye Llewelyn
Normalcy
A Climate-Fiction Musical
TIME
PLACE
RUN TIME
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
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2040 A.D.
New Settle, The Pacific Northwest.
1 hour 30 minutes (including a 15 minute intermission)
Neo - (They/ Any pronouns), 10 years old. Neo has a damaged immune system due to air pollution exposure from a very young age. They still manage to be an unshakable light to the group setting with their wild imagination and hopeful demeanor (but secret need for escapism and self-understanding). They represent the “cautious” of the Six Americas theory.
Marceline “Mars” - (She/they), 14 years old. Environmental extremist. A total badass. A strong and at times abrasive personality. She’s had to learn to put her values before their own youth. Mars has been experiencing climate anxiety for as long as they can remember. They represent the “Alarmed”.
Quinten “Q” - (They/them), almost fifteen years old. Environmental pacifist. Just as passionate as Mars, but takes the exact opposite approach to environmentalism. They are here to balance out their badass. They represent the “concerned”.
Archer “Archie” - (He/they), 16 years old. The oldest and self-designated most responsible of the group. He's a painter who struggles to balance expressing himself and taking on the responsibilities of the
group. He would rather enjoy the moment and make art than worry about the future. They're ovingly pretentious for good reason. He represents the “doubtful”.
Governor Birdie Hope Baylor- (She/ her), 40 years old. Considered ancient to the kids. She has struggled with mental health and memory loss for who knows how long. She is the Governor of the Pacific Northwest region with many secrets and repressed memories. She represents the cynically “dismissive”.
Ensemble
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Residents of New Seattle and New Anchorage
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Government officials/ Police/ "The Heat". This includes
○ Guard 1 (Karl): Kronk-like. Loyal to Birdie. Annoying but gets the job done.
○ Guard 2 (Jebediah): Stoic and a little scary. Very annoyed to be babysitting the kids later on. The guards have aggressively different voices and statures.
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Lieutenant Governor: Birdie’s second in command. Carries out Birdie’s ‘dirty work’.
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President Baylor: President of New America, and Governor Birdie's father.
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Announcer/ Radio Announcer/ Translator
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Young man from a flashback sequence
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Elementals - At least 4 dancers who personify the weather/ elements of smog, acid raid, drought, and fire as well as other creatures that cross paths with the characters of the show. The lines between humans, flora, fauna, and abiotic people are blurred, purposefully.
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In a 2040 vision of the Pacific Northwest, the flow of nature is no longer marked by the seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, but now the New Seasons of Smog, Acid Rain, Drought, and Fire. The landscapes have changed drastically so that the flora and fauna have adapted to integrate human manufactured infrastructure into their neo-ecosystems.
Due to the exponential increase in greenwashing, the New Seasons have been normalized to the point of being celebrated via commercialized holidays, with the most widely celebrated being “Overshoot Day”: when all the Pacific Northwest region’s resources for the year have already been exhausted faster than they can be replenished. This year, and for the first time ever for the Pacific Northwest, Overshoot Day is the first day of the year. Those who are particularly law-abiding by abstaining from having children and celebrating the New Season festivals, are granted access to the last clean and green place on Earth, New Normal City.
Plot Synopsis
Because of the extreme scarcity of natural resources it is taboo, and ilegal, to have children, making young people scarce and the youngest person alive, our 12 year old Neo, an anomaly. Those who were already born have been abandoned to face the changing Seasons on their own, including our ragtag team of young teenagers living on the outskirts of New Seattle.
Photo Credits: Emma Stafki
Writing Sample
View A Writing Sample of the First 10 pages of Normalcy Here
