Penelope [2] [EXPLICIT — S] - Laura

Penelope is a short play that explores the implications of racism and societal myopia on today’s diverse youth, through the means of satirizing the modern educational system. The story follows Penelope, an ambitious sixteen year old orphaned black girl, as she embarks on her journey through circus school. She is faced with a barrage of obstacles; a racist hierarchy, confused and disruptive peers, an incompetent clown teacher, and falling in love with the son of the hateful Klan Man/Ringleader of chaos, the head of the school, amongst other things. The play is not afraid to dive into the grotesque and the fantastic, and metaphors are displayed through the heightened theatricality of the circus. The current plights of minority students are illustrated through characters representing the KKK, Jim Crow, and Mother Earth, as well as the use of several choruses, as Penelope navigates the chaos that is the town of Yankeedom.see less