Young Dumb Broke High School Kids

by Nicholas Pilapil

Everything sucks for high school kids Bliss, Olivia, and Miles. Bliss is a dreamer but she's knocked up and knocked down, Olivia is a lover with no one to love her back, and Miles is an orphan who would kill to have a family. And together they sling back slushies, barf down chili cheese fries, and try to sort out their lives in the most dangerous ways. They're unloved and fucked up...and it's whatever.

Everything sucks for high school kids Bliss, Olivia, and Miles. Bliss is a dreamer but she's knocked up and knocked down, Olivia is a lover with no one to love her back, and Miles is an orphan who would kill to have a family. And together they sling back slushies, barf down chili cheese fries, and try to sort out their lives in the most dangerous ways. They're unloved and fucked up...and it's whatever.

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Young Dumb Broke High School Kids

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: Young Dumb Broke High School Kids by Nicholas Pilapil
    “

    A really great 3-hander about dreaming one's way out of their current situations.

    A really great 3-hander about dreaming one's way out of their current situations.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: Young Dumb Broke High School Kids by Nicholas Pilapil
    “

    Spectacular piece that made me nostalgic for the 90's and really captured a theatricalized "Gregg Araki vibe" brilliantly. The dialogue is just so well-crafted and so fun and, even in its cleverness, it does an excellent job of revealing character and propelling the plot forward. The whole atmosphere of Bliss, Miles, and Olivia's town--their peers, other adults, the surrounding environs--was crystal clear even though we only get to know these three humans. The punctuating monologues are honest, confessional, and illuminating. The piece feels so clearly theatrical, even while conjuring a...

    Spectacular piece that made me nostalgic for the 90's and really captured a theatricalized "Gregg Araki vibe" brilliantly. The dialogue is just so well-crafted and so fun and, even in its cleverness, it does an excellent job of revealing character and propelling the plot forward. The whole atmosphere of Bliss, Miles, and Olivia's town--their peers, other adults, the surrounding environs--was crystal clear even though we only get to know these three humans. The punctuating monologues are honest, confessional, and illuminating. The piece feels so clearly theatrical, even while conjuring a specific cinematic moment in time. Fun, unsettling, insightful!

    read more
    ”

Character Information

  • Bliss
    A spitfire of a girl who makes herself the center of
    attention. She's a dreamer crushed by the realities of her dull and regular life.
    16
    Asian American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Miles
    Bliss' boyfriend. He's sweet, sensitive, and comes
    off as an all-around nice guy. He loves really hard and will do
    anything for the people he loves most. It may seem like it, but
    he's not that dumb, he kinda just doesn't get it.
    16
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Olivia
    Bliss' best friend. She's probably kinda really pretty. Fun, confident, loyal, and somewhat beyond her years.
    16
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

Awards

  • Virtual Play Readings
    The Matchbox Theatre
    Selection
    2022
  • New Works Festival
    Santa Monica Theatre Guild at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
    Semi-Finalist
    2021
  • OC-centric New Play Festival
    Finalist
    2018