Logline
An eighth-grade boy who was born empty - literally - makes his first-ever friend at school the same week that his parents agree to sell him to a collector of oddities for scientific study.
Synopsis
Broken Sinclair was born empty – no blood, no guts, no feelings – just the hollow shell of a child walking around looking outwardly like any other awkward kid, trying to be normal. But this goal is made harder - not by the bullies at school, or by his Bowie-worshipping hover-mom and his neglectful, ninja-star-throwing dad, but by the relentless attention of Leigh, a nerdy sci-fi-loving girl at school who decides she wants to be Broken’s friend. When a mysterious collector of oddities offers his strapped-for-cash parents ten million dollars for Broken, he doesn’t mind. But when Broken later accidentally makes Leigh cry, he promises to go to her birthday party the following week, which complicates his prior commitment to the Collector. What follows is a misadventure in which impossible obstacles and mad scientists push Broken towards making a choice between letting the momentum of the world sift him into oblivion - or choosing to show up for someone who cares about him, even if it means the humiliation and pain that come along with the act of caring back.
[NARRATOR] Any gender, age, ethnicity. The narrator’s deadpan delivery of the dark and strange unrealities of Broken’s world establishes a sense of rhythm and a baseline of normalcy for this stylized work.
[BROKEN SINCLAIR] M, 13. Any ethnicity. Broken Sinclair was born empty – literally. No blood, no guts – just the outer shell of a boy walking around trying to figure out how to be normal. Broken doesn’t really understand feelings either, but he always wears a slight smile and speaks cheerily to keep people around him happy. If he satisfies everyone else, he hopes he can get one shining moment of quiet where all the bustle and noise and expectations surrounding him just stop.
[LEIGH] F, 13. Any ethnicity; BIPOC applicants encouraged. Awkward, sweet, energetic, and whip-smart, Leigh seeks solace from her loneliness in the outlandish sci-fi and fantasy stories that make her feel part of something bigger. Though she has friends who keep her engaged in trying to fit in, she keeps reaching out toward Broken with relentless enthusiasm, hoping to be truly understood by another misfit.
[THE COLLECTOR] M or NB, 40s-50s. Any ethnicity, BIPOC applicants encouraged. Driven by a sense of loss, the mysterious Collector seeks oddities and rarities throughout the world. With inexhaustible wealth, his hunger to transform the busily destructive world into something more peaceful (that he can have control over) leads him to try to crack open the secret of Broken’s emptiness in the hopes that everyone can become more like Broken.
[MRS. SINCLAIR] F, late 30s-40s, any ethnicity – An ideal mother straight out of a 50s sitcom – and a devout worshipper of David Bowie – Carolyn Sinclair has essentially conjured a family out of nothingness through sheer force of will, and will literally sell her blood, eggs – even her own hopes about the future – to give her empty son (her miracle child) a good life. As harsh realities set in, the world she’s created for them proves increasingly fragile, as does her ability to hold that world together.
[MR. SINCLAIR] M, late 30s-40s, any ethnicity – Jack Sinclair carries resentments over his son’s “miracle” birth, which racked up so much medical debt that they still haven’t caught up 13 years later. The expenses of raising a child have made his unpursued dreams (being a ship captain, a ninja, generally wealthy) fade out of sight, leaving him resentful and determined to pay his child as little attention as possible. He’s literally happy to sell Broken at the first opportunity to get out of debt and envision a new identity for himself and Mrs. Sinclair – whose disaffection he notices too late.
[JACKIE] F, 13 (can be read by adult). Any ethnicity. BIPOC applicants encouraged. Jackie, an honor student and high-functioning nerd, is fiercely protective of her best friend Leigh and hopes to help her to get through the insanity that is middle school. In her efforts to shelter Leigh from the cruelties of school life, she sometimes ends up perpetuating them. Actor reads multiple other roles.
[ELLA] F/NB, 13 (can be read by adult). Any ethnicity. BIPOC applicants encouraged. Leigh’s friend, Ella, tries to hide her own awkwardness and insecurity by following Jackie’s lead, diverting attention away from herself with a devious smile whenever the spotlight tries to turn on her. Actor reads multiple other roles.
[DR. TWELVE] F, 40s. Any ethnicity. BIPOC applicants encouraged. As a scientist, Dr. Twelve shares The Collector’s deep curiosity, though her goals are more about unlocking the mysteries of matter and being than about power, which causes tension between them as he becomes more ruthlessly ambitious. Actor reads multiple other roles.
[MS. FOSTER] F, 30s. Any ethnicity. BIPOC applicants encouraged. Ms. Foster, the science teacher, means to form healthy starts to the lives and educations of these eighth graders, though she’s often thwarted by their home situations, their attention spans, her own poor drawing skills, and some rather limiting school policies. Actor reads multiple other roles.
[LENNY] M, 14 (can be read by adult), Any ethnicity. BIPOC applicants encouraged. A chill eighth-grade boy who keeps out of drama, is nice to pretty much everyone, and leads a fantastical inner life, which no one else sees, through the odd assortment of books he reads. Actor reads multiple other roles.
This event is only open to active SAG-AFTRA Chicago members in good standing (paid through April 30, 2025). No guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.
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