The Story
This is the story of Minnie, our fifteen-year old hero growing up in the chaos of the 1970s, in the haze that is San Francisco. She is incredibly bright, and self-reflective. She is gut-wrenchingly honest, and curious about the world around her. And she has just begun an affair with her mother’s boyfriend, Monroe. Shit.
Minnie is keeping an audio diary to record her experiences. Really, she has no one else to talk to. We, as the audience, get to peer into the inner-workings of her young mind, and ride along on her adolescent rollercoaster. We see her fall deep into the spiraling emotions of young-love, and eventually into the alluring world of drugs and sex. And throughout, we get to hear her deepest and darkest thoughts. This is not your typical teenage story, and yet through it, we’re transported back to our own adolescence- growing pains and all.
The Characters
Minnie
Our protagonist. Fifteen. The entire play functions as Minnie’s diary. The audience is in her head, and she is the conductor of the reality of the play.
Monroe
Thirty-five. Charlotte’s boyfriend, and Minnie’s lover. An alcoholic searching for meaning in a confusing time and place (1970’s San Francisco). Monroe is the object of Minnie’s affection and sometimes obsession, and the catalyst for her downward spiral.
Charlotte
A young, troubled single mother of thirty-two. Minnie’s mother. She is largely the root cause of Minnie’s distorted sense of self. She is the person who Minnie most seeks to connect with; however, her love always feels just out of reach.
KIMMIE
Fifteen, and Minnie’s best friend. She sometimes functions as the devil on Minnie’s shoulder- bringing out her most self-destructive side. Kimmie functions as a confidant for Minnie, and a partner in crime.
PASCAL
Early Forties. Minnie’s ex-step-father. Pascal functions for a large portion of the story as a distant hope: the one grown-up who actually encourages Minnie, and who may save her. The same actor also plays Minnie’s psychiatrist and the operator at the Suicide Prevention Hotline.