DON'T STOP ME: a dance-a-thon to the death by Dave Malloy &
by Krista Knight
A shot at college, internet fame, attention from the one they like. The stakes are high at Plain Springs High's first ever Dance-a-thon. As the demonic DJ transports them to dance crazes throughout history, each contestant must face their deepest desires and greatest weaknesses. Only one couple will walk out with "The Prize." The rest won't make it out alive.
A shot at college, internet fame, attention from the one they like. The stakes are high at Plain Springs High's first ever Dance-a-thon. As the demonic DJ transports them to dance crazes throughout history, each contestant must face their deepest desires and greatest weaknesses. Only one couple will walk out with "The Prize." The rest won't make it out alive.
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DON'T STOP ME: a dance-a-thon to the death by Dave Malloy &
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Chas Belov:
DON'T STOP ME: a dance-a-thon to the death by Dave Malloy &
by Krista Knight
“
I saw this in a student production at San Francisco University High School. This play is the best of both worlds for a student play: it's fun, and it's going to save lives. Three worlds, actually; the music is really good. A very much needed play in this time of academic pressure.
I saw this in a student production at San Francisco University High School. This play is the best of both worlds for a student play: it's fun, and it's going to save lives. Three worlds, actually; the music is really good. A very much needed play in this time of academic pressure.
”
Character Information
Cyrus Abraham
Senior, Damaged Adonis of Track and Field
Cyrus is literally running away from his problems and his dreams are nightmares of being chased by the bogeyman – the avatar of his guilt for killing his girlfriend in a teen driving accident.
Cyrus is rolling in sympathy tail and pushes his body to the limit – both in the bedroom and on the track, desperate to distract himself from his emotions.
Cyrus claims nothing is wrong, but those around him feel he doth deny too much.
Character Age
17
Harper Perkins
Junior, Popularity is Life
Instead of building character, Harper’s blunder-years fostered a blind, desperate hunger for popularity at any cost.
She used to be best friends with Janelle when they were equally unpopular. But now Harper has boobs. Good ones. And Harper feels Janelle has become dead weight.
Harper’s personality is fake and breast-forward, a distraction from her vacant mind and vapid personality. Maybe she has a mean mom who made fun of her for being fat or ugly.
In a calculated ploy for attention, Harper is here with the tragedy star, Cyrus.
Tonight is the night Harper cuts Janelle off. Not only are they not friends anymore, they never were friends, because Harper is going to start lying about her past and saying she was studying abroad in Europe or some other cool bullshit.
Character Age
16
Janelle Duncan
Junior, A Third Wheel is still a Wheel
Janelle has attachment and abandonment issues and she’s tenaciously clinging to her status as Harper’s best friend, despite Harper’s cruelty.
Her unrequited love for Cyrus would be a triangle, but neither see her as a point.
Janelle seeks attention from Harper, even negative attention, often disrupting Harper’s romantic encounters.
When Janelle tries to befriend others, Harper gets jealous.
Character Age
16
Roger Dickson
Junior, The Puritan
Roger is a good Christian boy who has vowed to remain pure until marriage despite the persistence of his sex-positive girlfriend.
Roger sees himself as a leader, but he’s really just a perfectionist who refuses to let himself fail.
Roger has worked his ass off all year to cultivate a garden of good-will and righteousness. This means stepping up and stepping in where needed to handle other people’s burdens, class responsibilities, chores, and other thankless work.
Roger is constantly asking himself: What would Jesus do if he was a teenager named Roger?
Indecisiveness will be his undoing. If he doesn’t have a rule book to follow, he’s completely lost.
Character Age
16
Dakota Scott
College freshman, The Venus Returns
One year in college has replaced Dakota’s devout Christianity with a sex positive awakening.
She may have gone a bit wild, but secretly Dakota has been saving herself for Roger – if only she can lead him into the light.
She’s embarrassed but excited to be back in her high school gym and eager to make up for lost time.
Tonight she’s going to force Roger to decide about sex or break up with him.
Character Age
18
Nicki Beal & Royshanna Bellamy
Seniors, Scene-Queens
Highly functional alcoholics who self-medicate to cope with their unique family traumas.
They always bring the party but never get caught due to their uncanny ability to maintain control.
They’re like Nijas, if Ninjas smelled like vodka.
But behind B averages and unrivaled popularity, both girls are crumbling.
Nicki’s jet setting mother is never around, leaving empty pool houses and Nicki a lonely Grubhub cub.
In contrast, Royshanna’s newly divorced father is around too much: he’s needy and emotionally shattered.
Maybe they’re here under the mistaken information that they’ll get extra credit.
Maybe they have a vape they pass back and forth.
Royshanna – Ice: Playful insults, dry humor, witty observations – a trait that most people find irresistible.
Pretty privilege at play. They’re both beautiful but one’s a beautiful puppy, the other’s a beautiful kitty.
They have embarrassing dirt on pretty much everyone.
Character Age
17/18
Ellie Valle & Zander Valle
Homeschooled Freshmen, Ballroom dancer duo.
Character Age
14
Samson Stephens
Junior, Warrior Class, high hit points low intelligence
Good voice for streaming. Overconfident - the first to jump into the fight.
“I can take you all on!”
Doesn’t scare easy. But is easily tricked.
Character Age
16
Jaynie Freed
Sophomore, Healer, knowledgeable but cautious
The most prepared and the most technical but has a tendency to overcomplicate things.
Natural caregiver. Nurturing force.
She wants everyone to be fed and rested.
Checks for traps before rushing in.
Character Age
15
Grace Wexler
Sophomore, The Nerdy Know-it-All
A brainy girl in all the advanced classes.
She is socially awkward and anxious, and struggles with inter-personal relationships:
sometimes correcting her teachers or coming on too strong.
She’s confident but lacks tact and patience.
Like Hermione, she’s pretty but her know-it-all behavior pushes people away.
Her efforts to provide helpful information often go unappreciated.
Character Age
15
Mo Doyle
Freshman, Rouge, chaotic neutral
Mo is trying but Mo tends to do everything wrong.
Unpredictable. Unexpected. Odd.
Lucky – he tends to win games he doesn’t understand.
‘Mom always said Dungeons & Dragons would lead to Satanism…’
Character Age
13
Tye Spring
Sophomore, Rebel Runaway
An edgy urban nomad who left the shelter of her bigoted family out of principle.
Now she’s couch surfing, increasingly at her new girlfriend Grace’s house, but claims it’s because she wants to, not because she has to.
She’s busking, selling poems for a dollar at the bus station, and sometimes attending class.
Tye refuses to ignore the cruelty of the world, and her poems reflect that darkness in crushing efficiency—cutting through notions of romance or eternal love or anything of that kind, leaving bloody remnants, begging for death.
Tye has a crush on Grace because Grace has a refreshingly positive perspective and hopeful nature.
Tye is boyish and a willful outsider. Isn’t trying to impress anyone. Observes people to draw inspiration from suffering.