Like the Sky Got in It
"On a good day, when the gate swings fast and the wind is right, I go flying up high into the air. And if I hold my body a certain way, almost like a kite, I can stay up there for hours."
Synopsis - Precocious sixteen-year-old Alexandra Blackmore and her father Thomas, a self-help guru and motorcycle minister, have just rented an Amish farmhouse in Lancaster, PA. Alex’s mother Mavy, an aging punk rocker with drug and alcohol issues, makes an appearance after a long absence. Alex befriends two neighbor children. Gabriel, 18, has been rescued from the city, prostitution, and drugs, by his religious zealot aunt and uncle. Omer is an Amish boy of 8, who, even though being abused, is full of wonder and hope. How will these three kids help each other see a way forward?
Single Unit Set, 2 female, 3 male characters, Comedy.
Single Unit Set, 2 female, 3 male characters, Comedy.
Characters -
(Everyone seems to wear a lot of black.)
ALEX (Alexandra Blackmore) – 16, a little overweight, low self-esteem, hyper, nervous, precocious, doesn’t quite fit in. She is very much a tomboy. Not yet a lesbian, or bi, or something to the side of the societal norm.
GABRIEL – 18, a sexy, skinny, pretty-boy/tuffy. He’s a rebel, a goth or a punk. Cool, detached. Quiet and economic with his words. We see his personality slowly. Maybe gay; maybe not.
THOMAS Blackmore – Alexandra’s Father. Late 40s early 50s. A motorcycle minister / self-help guru, with a hippie/rock and roll edge. He’s still handsome but grizzled.
MAVY – 40ish, Thomas’ Xwife. A punk rocker, angry and bitter, starting to give up. Coffee, cigarettes, pills and booze; not necessarily in that order. She’s a sexy broad with a horse, raspy voice that clobbers anyone in earshot.
OMER – 8, an Amish farm boy, sweet, angelic, wide-eyed and full of wonder. He is wearing black pants, black shoes and a black vest, a light blue shirt and a straw wide brimmed hat with a black ribbon around it.
(Everyone seems to wear a lot of black.)
ALEX (Alexandra Blackmore) – 16, a little overweight, low self-esteem, hyper, nervous, precocious, doesn’t quite fit in. She is very much a tomboy. Not yet a lesbian, or bi, or something to the side of the societal norm.
GABRIEL – 18, a sexy, skinny, pretty-boy/tuffy. He’s a rebel, a goth or a punk. Cool, detached. Quiet and economic with his words. We see his personality slowly. Maybe gay; maybe not.
THOMAS Blackmore – Alexandra’s Father. Late 40s early 50s. A motorcycle minister / self-help guru, with a hippie/rock and roll edge. He’s still handsome but grizzled.
MAVY – 40ish, Thomas’ Xwife. A punk rocker, angry and bitter, starting to give up. Coffee, cigarettes, pills and booze; not necessarily in that order. She’s a sexy broad with a horse, raspy voice that clobbers anyone in earshot.
OMER – 8, an Amish farm boy, sweet, angelic, wide-eyed and full of wonder. He is wearing black pants, black shoes and a black vest, a light blue shirt and a straw wide brimmed hat with a black ribbon around it.
Development - Still in development, Like the Sky Got in It started in the CUNY Hunter MFA playwriting program with Tina Howe.