My American Idiot

A Screenplay by Rose

Act one, Scene one

SONG OF THE CENTURY
ACT ONE, SCENE ONE

(Curtains draw and lights rise to a dim glow revealing a city at sunset. 11 teenage girls (The Disciples of St.Jimmy) are scattered on the corner of Shame Street and East 12th Street. D1 looks around before calling out)
D1: Sing us the song of the Century
D2: Louder than bombs and eternity
D3: Era of static and contraband
D4: Leading into the Promised Land
D5: Tell us a story that’s by candlelight
D6: Waging a war and losing the fight
D7: Sing us a song of the century
D8: Panic and promise and prosperity
D9: Tell us a story into that goodnight
D10: Sing us a song for me
(All girls look around before pulling up their hoods, covering their faces, becoming The D1-10)
D11: Clear!
(A girl in her early twenties enters walking from Stage Right. This is Whatsername.)
W: All rise and be silent for St.Jimmy.
(A character walks onstage from SR, dressed in a floor length black leather trench coat. They have a ski mask on and all you can see are their eyes and mouth. On top of their head is a crooked Pope’s hat in black and red. This is St.Jimmy. The disciples all bow then stand in a semi circle around St.Jimmy (Sj) and Whatsername (W). Christian (C) follows them onstage, but stands off to one side, away from the group.)
*Exited improv chatter from the D’s*
(Sj snaps and they all get silent.)
W: Does anyone have any new news or plans for the utter destruction of The Facility?
(D’s shake their heads then talk in pantomime to each other, Sj stays quiet, and if they need to speak they do so through W. Enter Cop 1 SL (stage left). He starts to walk downstage but notices the disciples and talks into his radio. Enter Cop 2 SR. C yells and D1-5 run away SL, knocking down Cop 1. D6-10 flee SR but Cop 2 gets out of the way. C and W start to pull Sj SL and D11 starts to follow, but is shot in the chest by Cop 2. Sj tries to help.)
W: No we have to go, now! (Pulls Sj)
W: C’mon! (Sj reaches out, W spins to face Sj)
W: She’s Dead! There’s nothing you can do! (Defeated, Sj gets pulled offstage left.)
Cop 1: (Sighs and pulls back D11’s hood) She looks like she’s only twelve.
Cop 2: “St.Jimmy” is more of a beast than a Saint.
Cop 1: He deserves to die.
(Both Cops tend to D11 while curtains close and lights fade)

© 2011 Rose

Author's Note

This is the basis of the Characters.
Deciple's one-eleven: The loyal followers of St.Jimmy, they usually sing the as the chorus and don't know who St.Jimmy really is. (You'll see them as D 1-11)
St.Jimmy: "The patron saint of the denail" St.Jimmy is the Robin Hood of the modern world, clade in a leather trenchcoat, ski mask, and a Pope's hat. St.Jimmy never talks, and if they have something to say, say it through Whatsername. Everyone assumes St.Jimmy is a guy so Christian secretly sings all of her songs. (You'll see 'him' as SJ)
Jimmy: The other side of St.Jimmy, Jimmy is Christian's Red-haired little sister, who is a suicidal who doesn't believe in love because her parents split when she was very young. She has trouble trusting people because her and Christain were abandoned, so her only friend besides her brother is Whatsername. (You'll see her as J)
Christian:Jimmys brother who has taken care of her all her life. He sings all of St.Jimmys songs so no one knows just who she is. He is a hopeless romantic, unlike his sister, and is caring and consederate towards everyone. (You'll see him as C)
Gloria: Deciple 11's older sister. She keeps to herself most of the time so not much is known about her. (You'll see her as G)
Whatsername: Whatsername has been on the run since she was six and never tells anyone her name. She's just as cunning and devious as St.Jimmy, but cares about Jimmy and often calls her 'Jay'. (You'll see her as W)
Jos: The Jesus of Suberbia by birth, he works at The Facility on East 12th Street, the very place St.Jimmy and 'his' gang want to take down. He is trusting and young with a heart of gold. (You'll see him as JOS)
George: This is the only character that didn't get there name from a song, but seeing how Billie Joe sometimes introduces himself as George W. Bush, I found it fitting. He is Jos's boss at The Facility, and has a odd connection to Whatsername. (You'll see him as GE