small town icons (a revenge play) by SMJ .

FULL-LENGTH (Draft as of 9.25.23)
It's the day before the opening night of Mount Vernon's production of OUR TOWN and all Sabrina wants to do is keep rehearsing because the show needs to be perfect. Her best friend Kimberly just wants to go out before she starts training full-time for the Olympics. However, their small town threatens to suffocate them after an incident with Sabrina, their bible...
FULL-LENGTH (Draft as of 9.25.23)
It's the day before the opening night of Mount Vernon's production of OUR TOWN and all Sabrina wants to do is keep rehearsing because the show needs to be perfect. Her best friend Kimberly just wants to go out before she starts training full-time for the Olympics. However, their small town threatens to suffocate them after an incident with Sabrina, their bible-praising science teacher, and a branding in the shape of the cross. Once their formerly hospitalized friend shows up at their door and the bully who put her there arrives, everything breaks down and two of them end up hurt. A revenge play based on two true small town events, small town icons investigates small town toxicity, Our Town, religion, friendship, and cookies.
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small town icons (a revenge play)

Recommended by

  • Henri Sudy:
    24 Mar. 2023
    “ This entire premise is, frankly, batshit insane. Which makes it all the more unbelievable that so many of the major plot points are based on actual events.

    What ties it all in a beautiful & fascinating bow are the wildly unique characters and their carefully constructed relationships. SMJ traps you in this small town with these young women, entreating you to not just acknowledge, but experience all the town puts on them.

    Just like any small Ohio town, SMALL TOWN ICONS will stay with you... whether you make it out or not. ”
  • Rachel Greene:
    9 Jul. 2022
    “ I absolutely could not put this play down! Perhaps it is because I was once also a theatre-kid teenager from a small religious town in Ohio, but this play and these characters rang so incredibly true to me. SMJ strikes the perfect balance of dark humor, true trauma and rage, and enticing mystery, all in the neat package of a fast-paced, engaging revenge play. This story is delicious, exciting, and easily one of my favorite plays I've read in recent memory. I can't wait for an opportunity to see it staged! ”
  • Max Berry:
    9 Jul. 2022
    “ SMJ captures the dark sides of living in a small town perfectly. "small town icons" gives us a friend group that anyone can, for better or for worse, relate to, and exaggerated it to a truly frightening degree. With every character feeling isolated for one reason or another, SMJ throws them all in a room together with little to no escape and says "figure it out." The ensuing battle of words (among other things) is equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying. ”
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Character Information

  • Sabrina
    18,
    Any BIPOC
    ,
    she/her pronouns
    Graduated last week
    A community theater star, but like, actually good at acting?
    Playing Emily in Our Town
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Kimberly
    18,
    Any BIPOC
    ,
    she/her pronouns
    Graduated last week
    An Olympic-level Gymnast
    Playing George in Our Town
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Willow
    18,
    Any
    ,
    she/her pronouns
    Graduated last week
    An aspiring doctor
    Has no idea what's going on
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Kelly
    18,
    White
    ,
    she/her pronouns
    Dropped out last year
    Currently a stay-at-home mom
    Mr. K's daughter
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    The Uptown Collective
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    The Uptown Collective
    ,
    2022
  • Residency
    ,
    The Citadel of Playwrights
    ,
    2022
  • Workshop
    ,
    Play Incubation Collective
    ,
    2021
  • Workshop
    ,
    Permafrost Theatre Collective Icebreaker Series
    ,
    2020
  • Workshop
    ,
    Pre-Emerging Artists Festival with the Breaking & Entering Theatre Collective
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • University
    ,
    11th Hour Theater Company/Otterbein University
    ,
    2021

Awards

Finalist
,
It's a Damned Low Bar Residency
,
The Bechdel Group
,
2021