Dramedy. 65-75 minutes. 6 females, 1 male. Suitable for high school and older performers, and middle school and older audiences.
Synopsis
To teenage Tomas, Grandma is Grandma. But in 1967, she was Emma, a 15-year-old from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. She and her friends, the practical Suzie Chiba and the quick-witted Suzie Baker, faced the usual teenage trials—and a school system that made it clear kids like them weren't meant to go far. Emma's solution: start a gang. The Suzies. What begins with cool jackets and graffiti becomes far more radical: a declaration that Emma is not a second-class citizen, but a girl who belongs. Set against the backdrop of the East LA walkouts, Emma & the Suzies explores what it means to truly call your neighborhood a home.