RIOT ACT

Under the authoritarian government of an alternate 1991, Anti-American Thought is illegal.

Max is dead. Trapped inside the thoughts and memories of his friend Gigi, he’s not sure how to move on. Reeling from Max’s death, Gigi and Axl, the third member of their friend group in Champaign, Illinois, aren’t sure what’s left for them during their senior year. TV infomercial personality turned dictator Bud Hill controls the music Americans listen to, the art they consume, and the plays they perform. After the suspicious death of their beloved theater teacher, Ms. Lee, Gigi and the Thespians organize risky underground rehearsals for Shakespeare’s Henry VI. The script is pared down and cut with punk music, inspired by RiotRite, an illicit Defiance zine. Despite her entanglement with longtime-crush Orin, Gigi and Axl’s convincing will-they, won’t-they tension offers the romantic narrative that propels the story. The action culminates in a raucous, high-stakes public performance of Henry VI directed by Gigi. Max narrates the story posthumously, living inside Gigi’s thoughts and providing dark, cutting exposition and plenty of dry, raunchy humor. Secrets, lies, and betrayal fuel this timely commentary on censorship and the defiant power of art set against the vivid backdrop of ’80s pop-punk music, Riot Grrrl culture, and the early internet. Gigi and Max (who’s bisexual) are cued white, Axl is racially ambiguous, and Ms. Lee is Chinese American.

This fast-paced dystopian thriller will get a standing ovation from theater kids and punk rockers alike.