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Ghetto Babylon

DRAMA

Ghetto Babylon
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It's the summer of 1982 in the Boogie Down. Charlie Rosa, a Puerto Rican kid with a free ride to the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy, has just pitched his West Farms Warriors into the Bronx-Wide Little League Championship. Life is good— real good.

But when a letter arrives from Exeter requesting Charlie arrive earlier than originally planned, he must choose between pursuing Little League glory with his boys and the educational opportunity of a lifetime. With his usually level-headed cousin Felix too busy chasing Sarafina Santos, and his best friend, The Spectacular, too busy being, well, a nut-bag, who can he turn to? How about The Catcher in the Rye?


SYNOPSIS


1982. The West Farms Housing Projects. The South Bronx.

Charlie Rosa, along with his cousin Felix, and their krazy-ass best friend Spec “The Spectacular” Sanchez, is having the Little League summer of his life. August is filled with victory celebrations of pizza and grape Kool-Aid. It’s, as they say in the Boogedy, all good.

Then, there’s a girl. Because when you’re thirteen, there is always a girl. Her name is Sarafina. And you can bet your last case quarter, she’s lovely and amazing. But don’t she go with TheBobby, though? Anywho, she brings Charlie a letter that was accidentally put in her mailbox. It’s an acceptance letter to the Phillips Exeter Academy, a prestigious boarding school in New Hampshire.

HOORAY! Right? Nope, not really.

Going to Exeter means a lot of things. A lot. Like maybe not playing on Championship Sunday, for starters. But also, there’s leaving the Bronx, his family, his friends, and his cat, El Presidente. How can he do that? How can he leave? How can he not?

Wait up. Hold up. Chill, a sec. I mean, sure, his beloved Warriors are on a winning streak and in the Bronx-Wide Tournament of Champions for the first time ever, but eventually
they’ll lose, right? I mean, after all, the Warriors always lose, right?

Nope, not really.

This summer it’s different. It’s finally different. Suddenly, there is a lot of...

...THE WARRIORS WIN! THE WARRIORS WIN! THE WARRIORS WIN!

And, it’s all because of Charlie and that thunderbolt of a right arm of his. The neighborhood is rallying around it.

Suddenly, Charlie is feeling a lot of...

PRESSURE.

KRAZY MAD PRESSURE.

With no one around he feels will understand, Charlie unwittingly conjures relief in the form of TheCatcher, a mysterious boy in a red deer-hunter’s cap, who may or may not be the main-character of his favorite novel. Together, they’ll have to figure out if there’s a way for Charlie to move forward without leaving it all behind.

QUOTE


Ghetto Babylon hits it out of the park!

–BroadwayWorld


Characters:

Charlie Rosa – Puerto Rican. 13

Felix Peralta – His cousin. Puerto Rican. 13

Spec “The Spectacular” Sanchez – Their friend. Puerto Rican. 13

Sarafina Santos – Their neighbor. Puerto Rican. 14

TheBobby – Sarafina’s ex-boyfriend. Puerto Rican. 16

TheCatcher – Charlie’s conjuring. White. 16

Setting: The rooftop of Building 8 of the West Farms Housing Projects in the South Bronx. Various Little League baseball fields in the Bronx.

Performance Royalties for AMATEUR and EDUCATIONAL Groups, please fill out an application for your personalized quote. 

Performance Royalties for PROFESSIONAL Theaters will be quoted as a box office percentage, with a minimum guarantee based on ticket prices and theater particulars. Please fill out an application for your personalized quote.

Authorized Materials must be purchased from Stage Rights as a part of your licensing agreement (see Materials). 

Billing responsibilities, pertinent copyright information, and playwrights' biographies are available in the show rider that comes with your license agreement.

“Mejias has a natural flair for writing convincing dialogue. When Rodriguez, Ali, and Carvajal recite their lines, they evoke the rhythms of South Bronx Spanglish, a foreign and yet entirely understandable mix.” –David Gordon, Theatremania

“Practically bursting at the seams with heart, wit and authenticity.” –Jordan G. Teicher, CurtainUp

“Mejias' pride and passion oozes freshness and realness with each syllable uttered on the stage.” – Jeffrey Miele, BroadwayWorld

Authorized Materials must be purchased from Stage Rights as a part of your licensing agreement. Your materials will be sent to you digitally by your Licensing Representative. 

The Authorized Materials/Production Package for Ghetto Babylon are all fulfilled digitally and consist of: 

Acting Edition

Stage Manager Script

Director’s Script