Ranked, A New Musical

Perusal

Plot Summary

Buy your grades. Buy your future.
But what happens when the rest of the world finds out?

Lily is Above the Average, barely. Soon the giant, and very public, academic leaderboards will update everyone’s class rank, and for another day, everyone will know their place. If you fall Below the Average - say goodbye to college, and pretty much everything else. Below the Average students are nothing more than social outcasts, not worth anyone’s time. In the face of an intense and perverse culture of performance, Lily must find her place in the status quo as she watches friends and enemies alike destroy themselves and each other to score their way to the top.

When an impossible lie is discovered, the fate of these students' futures hangs in the balance. Debuting just weeks after the College Admission Scandal took the nation by storm, Ranked asks - what are you worth? Who decides? And what do you do when it all comes crashing down.

This fast paced script, written by Kyle Holmes, moves with urgency while managing to capture the complexity and nuance of being a driven and vulnerable teenager. And David Taylor Gomes provides a rich and vibrant original score that captures the frenetic energy of high school with catchy pop/rock melodies that will be stuck in your head for days.

Character Breakdown

Lily Larsen (Principal): Female, 14 years old.
Our anxious freshmen protagonist, Lily is new to the world of high-stakes academic rankings and still learning the ropes. She feels tremendous pressure from her older sister Alexis, and her peers, and goes to great lengths to try and get just one moment of reprieve from it all. John and their budding relationship eventually comes to represent what her life could be if she let all of the stress go.
Vocal Description: Strong Pop/Rock mezzo-soprano belts to an F#5

John Carter (Principal): Male, 15 year old sophomore.
Earnest and playful, John stopped caring about academics and being “Above the Average” after his mother died, following the lead of his older sister Jordan. He uses humor to get by, and after meeting Lily and developing an interest in her, begins to question if maybe he should care a little bit more about his future.
Vocal Description: Strong Pop Baritone belts to a G#4

Sydney Summers (Principal): Female, 17 year old senior.
Sydney is driven and cutthroat. She’s ranked #1 in her class, and got there by being brilliant, staying focused, and knowing exactly how to play the game. She wields her power and keeps everyone in their place through her Squad. Despite her cold demeanor, she has a soft spot for her twin brother Ryan.
Vocal Description: Powerful Pop Alto/Soprano with vocal riffing belts to an E5

Ryan Summers (Principal): Male, 17 year old senior.
Charming, charismatic, and blissfully unaware of his privilege. Girls love him, and guys want to be him. He’s ranked near the top of his class, but certainly doesn’t show the same intellectual promise as his Above the Average peers. Ryan lives his life carefree, and doesn’t understand why his girlfriend, Alexis, can’t do the same.
Vocal Description: Baritone/Tenor Belts to an A5

Alexis Larsen (Principal): Female, 17 year old senior.
Cautious and concerned, Alexis has worked incredibly hard to be near the top of her class. She lets her guard down for Ryan, but shows her drive and determination when coaching Lily on how to follow in her footsteps and keep their family’s secrets. 
Vocal Description: True Alto, Sweet and endearing pop/folk voice. F3-D5

Jordan Carter (Supporting): Female, 17 year old senior.
Jaded and angry, Jordan chose to focus on her academics over spending time with her dying mother last year, and carries that regret with her. She focuses her energy on songwriting and anything not academic. Would love nothing more than to see the class ranking system collapse so everyone can measure their worth without a number. 
Vocal Description: True Alto with strong high belt. Eb3 to Eb5

Jacquie (Supporting): Female, 17 year old senior.
Part of Sydney’s Squad, Jacquie is witty, sharp and doesn’t pull any punches. She is usually the first to chime in after Sydney speaks very aggressively, and knows her place in the pack.
Vocal Description: Alto, strong with harmonies

Carly (Supporting): Female, 17 year old senior.
Carly is part of Sydney’s Squad. While she is smart enough academically to be at the top, she lacks some social competence and is usually a step behind whatever point her squad is making.
Vocal Description: Mezzo-Soprano, strong with harmonies

Francis (Supporting): Male, 16 year old junior.
Francis is the sass of Sydney’s Squad. He carries himself with a bit of a strut, his comments are often backhanded and he would not hesitate to take Sydney’s place if the opportunity presented itself.
Vocal Description: Tenor, strong with harmonies

Plus an Ensemble of 6+ students