Runaways

Hubbell, a deaf teenager, tells the audience about why he ran away (You Don’t Understand). Hubbell uses ASL to communicate and has an interpreter speak the text. Hubbell asks the audience for a safe place to stay. Realizing they can’t (or won’t) help, he exits.

A.J. tells the story of why he left his home as Lazar and Deidre perform a masked dance in the background (I Had to Go). A.J.’s parents were constantly fighting and would fight over who gets to keep the children. A.J. had enough of the fighting and felt like he had to leave.

The full ensemble dances on stage, some in masks, as they depict their parent/child relationship (Parent/Kid Dance). Lazar yells “Faster! Faster!” until they notice one child needing help. Jackie sits on the ground, clutching a doll. She acts as a doctor, examining the dolls injuries (Appendectomy). Pretending to fix the doll, Jackie announces that the doll has been beaten severely and is suffering from a broken heart. The doll is a reflection of Jackie’s