My So-Called High School Rank (2022) Movie Script

woman: Actors on stage,

we're doing "What The Hell!"

man: I'm gonna tell you

what I'm looking for and what

I didn't get last night,

so I want to make sure

I get it this night.

It's literally tempo.

Tempo, tempo, tempo,

tempo, tempo.

(playing intense

accompaniment)

♪ What the hell, what the hell

what the hell ♪

But you see how the "hell"

doesn't actually line up

with the piano?

student:

What are the actual notes?

-(playing note)

-David Taylor Gomes: Uh, boys?

(playing)

Altos.

(playing different key)

That key change there

has to be rhythmically precise.

Let's run it!

(playing)

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

♪ What the hell

is going on here? ♪

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

♪ What the hell

is going on here? ♪

♪ I work hard ♪

♪ I work so damn hard ♪

♪ But what's it for ♪

♪ When it all falls apart? ♪

David: Kyle and I wanted

to write a musical

for the students

at Granite Bay High School.

We said, if we do a show

that centers around students

in high school,

what do they care about?

And at Granite Bay,

they really care

about their grades,

almost to a fault.

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

♪ What the hell

is going on here? ♪

Kyle Holmes:

Students truly believe

that their class rank,

and where they'll go to college,

is gonna determine everything.

student: This whole week,

you've been the one that's...

Maya:

4.0 isn't enough anymore,

which is funny because

that used to be perfect.

But now it's all about being

better than perfect.

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

♪ What the hell

is going on here? ♪

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

Kyle: There is like

a level of gamesmanship

to get into college.

Many students are paying

for college coaches,

SAT tutoring and prep.

A lot of amazing students

don't have the financial means

to be a part of it.

That inequity played

a huge role in us

writing "Ranked."

(cheering and applause)

Sid, I can't get ahold

of mom and dad.

Lex isn't returning my calls.

Where have you been?

Kyle:

There's a character

in our story

whose main plot line is

his parents were paying

for his grades

without him knowing.

In our early read-throughs

from our friends,

a lot of the feedback was, "Eh,

seems like a bit of a stretch.

How could he not know

and how could he--"

And we just felt really adamant,

we have to leave this in.

We think this is really

important, you're not going

to talk us out of this.

And then the story broke.

reporter: The largest ever

college admissions

cheating scam.

Fifty people arrested.

Most of them wealthy parents,

all accused of trying to do

the same thing:

getting their kids into

some of the most elite schools

in the country.

woman:

Rick Singer, years ago,

he actually worked

with students at

Granite Bay High School.

He ran an office here.

A lot of our students

used to work with him.

reporter:

We had a pretty strange case

of life imitating art,

a show that explored life

in high school,

one often driven

by grades, tests,

and this immense pressure

to get into top colleges.

David: Oh, we're really

onto something.

Everyone is waiting

to talk about this,

and now they get to.

And see a musical. (chuckles)

Ryan, have you been

paying for your grades

or not?

-Ryan: Lex, look, I can explain.

-student: You were the one

paying for your class rank.

What are we supposed

to tell colleges?

That we don't have ranks anymore

because you cheated?

Look at yourselves,

tearing each other apart,

over what, a number?

(murmuring)

Kyle:

Holy shit.

That's our story.

I wrote that a year ago.

And now we're seeing it

play out.

students:

♪ Why is this happening? ♪

♪ What the hell ♪

♪ Is going on? ♪

(dramatic finale playing)

student:

I therefore am...

(dramatic piano chords

playing)

Kyle:

Okay!

Lots of work to do.

David:

Here we go.

Kyle:

At a school like Granite Bay,

everyone kind of knows

where everyone is,

rank-wise, all the time.

They can log in on an app

and see what their grades are.

They can see

how their rank changes.

Technology has made it

so accessible

and so prevalent in their lives.

Kids are oftentimes

finding themselves

very miserable,

and very unhappy.

Jack:

There's a huge pressure.

Everyone's like, "I need

to get an A in this class."

"I need to keep up my 4.5 GPA

while balancing drama

and being on a sports team

and the National Honor Society."

Anvita:

My parents and I have

butt heads so many times.

They tell me like if you

like theater, that's great,

but your AP scores

need to be in check first,

and your SATs

need to be in check first.

(crowd applauding on video)

Kyle: We had a student

a few years ago

give the valedictorian speech

and talk about

how they just played a game.

4.63.

This three-digit number

is the reason I stand

before you today.

GPA has become like currency

in a game of Monopoly,

in which the players who chance

upon the right tiles

or construct

the right schedules earn more,

while others

inevitably end up with less.

No matter what,

someone wins the game,

while the rest stand defeated.

Kyle:

It went viral.

I think over six million views

on YouTube.

It's pretty indicative

of the culture.

Right when you're trying

to figure out who you are,

the school, and your peers,

and your teachers,

and sometimes even your parents,

will come to you and say,

"Here's what you are,

you're this number."

And it is so easy

to just take that number,

because it's so much easier than

trying to acknowledge the fact

that you don't know who you are.

Kyle:

In June of 2018,

we sat down with our students.

We said, "Tell us everything

that is going on in your life

that you've not said

to your parent."

In writing the musical

"Ranked,"

we wanted to amplify everything

our students were saying to us.

(intense rock music playing)

♪ Hey, welcome to high school ♪

♪ Welcome to my school ♪

♪ Where you must excel

at everything ♪

♪ Think I'm being dramatic? ♪

♪ It's just

simple mathematics ♪

♪ We can't all be winners ♪

Kyle: "Ranked" is set

in the not-too-distant future.

It's supposed to be

a little bit dystopian.

It's a world

where your class rank

determines everything

about your life.

student:

Hey, how'd this morning go?

I can't do this.

I'm going to fail.

I'm gonna fall below

the average.

I can't spend the rest

of my life...

like that.

Kyle: We have

above the average students

and below the average

students.

If you are above the average,

then your life is set

and you are on the path

to college

and a successful life

and a successful career.

If you are below the average,

then you don't have

any of those things.

♪ When does this feeling

go away? ♪

♪ This tightness in my chest ♪

♪ When will I see

through all this grey? ♪

♪ Why am I always

second best? ♪

♪ And, God,

what will my parents say ♪

♪ If I fail another test? ♪

♪ Has it always been

this way? ♪

♪ Can you tell me something

different isn't better? ♪

David: There's this feeling

of suffocation and drowning

that comes with the pressure

of everyone trying to tell you

you have to be

the absolute best.

♪ It's time to come up

for air... ♪

♪ These waves

keep crashing down ♪

♪ But we're still there ♪

♪ So push me down

and spit me out ♪

♪ I found my ground ♪

♪ I'm not about

to throw it all away ♪

♪ Because life isn't fair ♪

♪ I'm gonna come up for air ♪

Maya:

Most parents come out of it

and go, "Oh, that's crazy.

That's wild!

That's never happened."

You know, but a lot

of the students that I talk to

after seeing it look at me

and go, "Oh, my gosh,

that's how I feel.

That is our life."

(pensive music playing)

♪ Everything changes ♪

Maya:

Parents don't know.

And so I think this show

kind of started conversations.

♪ Everything changes ♪

♪ When will this change? ♪

David:

Because this show

was specifically written

for our students

at Granite Bay High School,

we didn't ever expect it to go

past Granite Bay High School.

But we had schools

all over the country

reaching out to us

wanting to license

and perform the show,

from California,

to West Virginia, to New York,

to Michigan, Maryland,

Rhode Island,

Ohio, Illinois, Colorado,

Minnesota, New Jersey.

We even heard from schools

in England, Malaysia,

China and Japan.

-(audience applauding)

-Kyle: It was so encouraging

to see other schools

reaching out to us saying,

"Hey, these are our kids'

stories too,

and how can we work

with you to tell that?"

(piano playing coda)

(students chatting indistinctly)

All right, ladies and gentlemen,

guys, gals, and nonbinary pals.

-Please get on the stage.

-Let me hear it.

♪ What the hell

what the hell ♪

And remember, how are we saying

"what the hell"?

-student 1: Strong!

-student 2: "What the hell?!"

Can we do an interp

on "What the hell

is going on here"?

♪ ♪

Ojas: My peers

at Cupertino High School

would probably define success

as getting

into top tier schools.

It's this sort of snowball

effect thinking that,

"I get into Stanford,

I get a good job offer.

I get to buy a big house,

I get to live happily."

I created a Twitter account

just so I could follow

the admissions officers

to see when

they're releasing it.

My only Twitter account

is following colleges.

Yeah, we don't use Twitter

for anything else.

Anastasia:

People see success here

as getting a job

in computer science

or bioengineering.

(laughing)

Everything that has

math in it.

It's a math city.

Like, we have

an Apple campus right there.

Kami Tomberlain:

Cupertino is definitely

suburban Silicon Valley.

Facebook, Google,

Twitter, Pinterest.

Everybody's here,

one form or another.

Arcadia Conrad:

It is a community made up

of first- and

second-generation immigrants,

most of whom are united

by the desire

to see their children

do very, very well in life.

So, a lot of people

move here for the schools.

teacher:

Growing up in Silicon Valley,

is that forming your identity?

student: Everyone is out

to, like, be their very best

and to get that perfect 1600

or that perfect score.

teacher: Do you imagine

we're a little skewed

into what "pass" is?

You could all pass

this class with a C.

Wouldn't that feel fine?

(nervous laughter)

Senih:

In Cupertino,

like, almost everyone's parents

did amazing in their countries

that they immigrated from.

You have all these parents

who were top of their class

telling their kids,

"Why can't you be

the top of your class?"

But there's only one

top of class.

Arcadia:

All righty datty dooly.

This is our first

stumble-through

of act I, scene I.

I want some peas and carrots.

But I want it in edu-speak.

So, fragments of words

that we say at school.

A.P.

-Integral.

-Uh-huh, lovely. Okay, yes?

-Derivative.

-Arcadia: Love it. What else?

-Calculus.

-Arcadia: Calculus, uh-huh.

-Antiderivatives.

-Arcadia: Antiderivative?

Okay, so now give yourselves

a point of view

with regard to those words,

and create a word salad for me

about what it's like to study

with the intention

of getting a better grade.

(intense piano music playing}

(indistinct chatter)

♪ Hey, welcome to high school,

welcome to my school ♪

♪ Where you

must excel at everything ♪

♪ Think I'm being dramatic? ♪

♪ It's just simple

mathematics ♪

♪ We can't all be winners ♪

Ruri:

I relate to my character

a lot,

especially the part of, like,

doing well and not letting

other people down.

♪ You just breathe,

you'll be fine ♪

There's a lyric

"just breathe,

you'll be fine."

No one ever really says that.

It's always like,

"Keep pushing forward,

go, go, go!"

♪ I can't take

another year of this ♪

♪ I'm sick of hearing this ♪

♪ Everyone's telling me

who I'm supposed to be ♪

♪ They want commitment

and they've got priorities ♪

♪ What do you want from me? ♪

♪ Just let

the final bell ring ♪

Arcadia:

Pause, please! Pause!

So on this, "I can't take

another year of this,

I'm sick of hearing this,"

we need to see faces.

And where are

these emotions

coming from?

When you say these words,

where in your body are

these emotions coming from?

Yeah, this is your truth-teller.

If this is not vibrating,

you are not telling the truth.

Now your character needs

to tell the truth,

and I want you to say, "I can't

take another year of this."

students: I can't

take another year of this,

I'm sick of hearing this.

Everyone's telling me

who I'm supposed to be.

They want commitment

and they've got priorities.

What do you want from me?

Anastasia:

I'm only 17.

Arcadia:

That was better.

Anastasia:

I didn't speak English

when I just moved here.

I had one best friend

who spoke Russian and English.

She would tell me

what people think of me

by the classes I take.

I wasn't even talking to anyone,

and they already

thought about me something.

That was

just really weird for me.

My idea of American Dream is,

I wanna leave something

after myself.

I wanna leave a mark.

But I've been working

for past two years,

and so many people coming

from Apple to get their coffee

and then they're talking

about work.

I'm just thinking, is that,

like, what I'm supposed to do?

Thinking about doing theater

as a profession,

it gives me just a hope.

But I always have this concern,

is it possible?

Only the thought of me just

sitting at the desk

all my life,

doing computer stuff,

it's really freaking me out.

(playing ascending chords)

♪ You know my dad! ♪

♪ He used to tell me ♪

♪ What life was like

before ranked redemption-- ♪

♪ Well, of course

they had ranks back then ♪

♪ Just not like this ♪

♪ School was fun ♪

♪ There were dances ♪

♪ Could you imagine a world ♪

♪ Where I could talk

to a cute girl ♪

♪ And ranks

never came up once? ♪

Senih: I would consider

myself an actor,

an entertainer of sorts.

I'd say I'm just the guy

at school

that puts a smile

on your face.

(quirky piano music playing)

We're all in this together.

Senih:

I'm not the best of students.

I mean,

I'm getting Bs and Cs

and a couple As,

but compared to everyone else

around me in Cupertino,

I'm not really in a position

where I can see myself

getting into the same colleges

as everyone else around me.

It's a weird feeling of...

of kind of being left out.

Senih, those are not

that important.

(chuckles) It's the windows,

get the windows.

Senih: I feel like

I'm trying as hard as I can,

but my dad would disagree.

My dad would be like,

"Oh, you're not really trying

as hard as you can.

If you were, you know,

you'd be doing better."

So, why were you

this late, though?

I told you, like,

if you come in earlier,

like three or four.

I had to take the SAT.

Oh, that's right.

How did it go?

(Senih sighs)

Like, you know,

you'd think after doing it

four times, you'd improve.

Yeah.

And then

you don't improve.

And it's just

a waste of time.

Well, were you expecting

to improve?

-Yeah.

-What did you change?

What was different

this time?

I got it done faster,

it's just...

Okay.

Senih: I didn't get

a better score.

So you made no progress?

I wouldn't-- okay, but I

wouldn't say no progress.

Like I still...

(sighs)

What makes you think

you made progress?

Just, I don't like

hearing "no progress."

Well, I know you

don't like it,

but that's the truth,

right?

Senih:

My dad immigrated

from Turkey.

He was really lucky, you know,

one of the brightest people.

He went to the best college,

got a job here.

He really holds us

to this high standard, like,

"Why can't you just get all As?

Why can't you just be

a good student?"

And I, I just wish there

was a way to tell him

that it's not as easy

as he thinks it is.

I don't think my dad realizes

how much his approval

means to me.

My older brother plays

football, and, you know,

my dad always goes

to his games.

I don't think he really notices

that he doesn't reciprocate

the same feelings

for when I do theater.

I can invite 80, 90 friends

to a musical

and have them all

tell me I did great,

but it's not going to be

the same as if my dad

just for a second was like,

"Hey, that was pretty good."

That would mean

so much more to me.

(rhythmic clapping)

Okay, starting on my left,

we're just gonna say one word

or phrase

that accurately describes

how we're feeling today about,

uh, the fact that we have,

what, three weeks till we open

or something like that.

-(excited murmuring)

-Harmonies.

-Yeet.

-Uh-huh.

(coughs)

-Exhaustion.

-Some.

Arcadia: There's a really

interesting attitude

about theater,

that it's a waste of time.

All right, now we're gonna

go this way and I'm gonna

be like "ready anyway,"

and you're gonna be like

"ready anyway," yeah?

And then you're gonna turn

to the person next to you. Yes!

-Ready anyway. Ready anyway?

-Ready anyway.

-Ready anyway?

-Ready anyway.

Ready anyway. Ready anyway?

Ready anyway.

Ready wheny-way?

(laughing)

Arcadia:

These students

have been told

that school is their job.

But if you allow

someone to sit in theater

for several years,

it will fundamentally change

who they are.

Okay, now let's play

bippity-bibbity-bop.

Bibbity-bibbity-bop,

oh, goodbye!

-Wow, Senih!

-Bibbity-bibbity-bop!

Bibbity-bibbity-bop!

both:

Bop!

Arcadia:

It will change how

they express themselves,

it will change how comfortable

they are with other people,

how they can

find and cultivate

their own authority,

how they can

connect to others.

One, two, three, four, five,

six, seven, eight, nine,

ten-- ding!

Arcadia:

And yet we have

to constantly

make that argument

that it's okay to just

be in an environment

and see what happens.

(pensive music playing)

♪ What could I say ♪

♪ If it turned out I failed? ♪

♪ What would you do ♪

♪ When the water

you've bailed ♪

♪ Comes rushing back in? ♪

♪ You know you can't win ♪

♪ You're drowning,

you're drowning ♪

♪ You're drowning,

you're drowning... ♪

♪ Better learn how to swim ♪

Arcadia: There's

a depression-anxiety combo

that you see

in a lot of students,

where it just

knocks kids down

further than it has

in the past.

And you're always demanding

this level of logistical rigor

from kids all day long.

You know, kids will crack.

Kami: In the last ten years,

56% more adolescents,

ages 10 to 17, are having

serious thoughts of suicide.

Which is massive.

Now there's so much pressure

to get into the best schools,

and feeling like

they have to do

everything possible

to get in.

Chris Hickey:

The issue of suicide

and self-injury

comes up in

my office every single day.

I hear from students often that

the first question they hear

when they go home is,

"How'd you do on the math test?"

Not "How'd you feel

at school today?

What was school like for you?"

student 1:

♪ Why do I always feel

so forgotten? ♪

student 2:

♪ Shouldn't someone be

watching out for me? ♪

David: I think this show

is a bit of a wake-up call.

We ask ourselves,

why do students kill themselves?

Baby boomers

will look and say,

"It's cell phones,

it's the internet."

It's also the way

we treat young people.

♪ Just breathe,

you'll be fine ♪

David:

Our show does not talk

about suicide,

but our show is a zoom-in

on the environment

that breeds

all of those things.

(crickets chirping)

(pastoral string music

playing)

Carolyn Rader:

Ripley has everything

that a family would want.

We have a love of our God,

of our families,

of our country.

We really like to be known

as one of the most

patriotic cities in America.

The largest employer

in Jackson County

is an aluminum plant.

We do have retail

such as Walmart.

Jackson County schools is

the second largest employer.

(crowd cheering)

Christina Iman:

People really support

the students

of Ripley High School.

Touchdown!

Christina: Friday nights

during football season,

that stadium is packed.

Beverly Shatto:

In addition to doing

what we do for education...

we also are trying to meet

as many other needs as we can.

It's not unrealistic for us

to have students

who come here because

they get meals here.

Barri Faucett: There are

a lot of wonderful things

about West Virginia.

However, we have several

deficits as well.

The most daunting is

our substance misuse epidemic.

Christina:

We have a lot of students

being raised

by their grandparents.

But for the most part,

Ripley people look out

for each other

and when someone's hurting,

people rally

and support each other.

The school is the heart

of the community.

(somber music playing)

(music fades)

-(rhythmic piano playing)

-Aaah. (giggles)

Christina:

Whenever you're ready.

♪ I could have

a mansion on a hill ♪

♪ I could lease a villa

in Seville, but... ♪

Christina:

"Ranked" popped out at me

when I first saw it online.

I thought,

"Wow, that sounds like

some of the issues

that we've had."

♪ Hey there, Mr. Chaplin ♪

♪ Well, your act

deserves applause ♪

Christina:

These kids can't have

even one bad grade,

because it's just gonna

ruin everything.

It is time, my lord!

What shall I do

with the others?

Shall I slay them?

Christina:

For a lot of them,

it's not about

being number one.

Okay, I can't sing well,

so the crown will distract

from that.

Christina:

But they know that

they have to be top 10%

because college is expensive.

There's a lot of money

on the line.

♪ Everyone's pushing,

everyone's fighting ♪

♪ Storms are approaching,

there's nowhere to hide ♪

Christina:

They have to do

whatever they can

to try to boost themselves

and make themselves appear

as a better candidate,

you know, than someone else,

when the time comes

to choose who gets what.

♪ Dear Theodosia,

what to say to you ♪

student:

Opportunities are not evenly

given out in this world.

College can be pretty costly

to go out of state

if you don't have

a crazy scholarship.

People in our own school,

they're just amazingly

academically talented,

but they don't have

the wealth or connections

to go off somewhere

crazy like Stanford.

♪ A merry-go-round

spiraling down ♪

I don't know how important

grades actually are when

it comes to like real life.

All I know is that you

have to have acceptable grades

for whatever college

that you're gonna go to.

You can get, like, C averages

and be fine with your life

if that's what you want to do.

That's it, that's all I had.

man: Have you ever thought about

going to an Ivy League college?

That is-- what is that? (laughs)

I honestly don't know

what it is.

(piano playing rhythmic intro)

teacher:

This is my intro that I have.

-(intro continues)

-This is it.

And then eventually I land here.

-(intro continues)

-And you just...

♪ I know your world

is crashing down ♪

♪ And as you hit the ground ♪

♪ Nobody hears a sound ♪

♪ Sometimes

you've got to make a mess ♪

♪ You've got to scream

and shout ♪

♪ It's time

to pound your chest ♪

(clears throat)

♪ Or be polite if you dare ♪

♪ Just sit tight

and braid your hair ♪

♪ Take a seat

right over there ♪

♪ And I'll give you a lesson ♪

♪ Someone always bleeds ♪

teacher:

I like what you did with that.

Ooh, that gave me...

Ah, it makes me like shake.

You gave me chills, girl!

Chills!

Anne:

I think most people

get stressed about

who they want to be

when they get older.

The schools now,

they really pressure you on,

"Who are you gonna be?

What college do you

wanna go to?"

I have no clue.

(dog barking)

(indistinct chatter)

Look!

I got a ginger snap for you.

No, it's for Donna.

(grunting)

Anne:

I see myself just being

successful in something,

but I don't want

to be tied down to

a job that isn't fun.

I was really set on becoming

an elementary teacher,

but I'm not sure about that.

Recently, I've been talking

to my parents a lot

about special effects

as, possibly, a career.

But we're in West Virginia.

There's, like, no schools

that have the arts.

I think about,

would I be successful

going to, like, a big city

trying to do something?

I definitely feel like

I'm stereotyped

because

I'm from West Virginia.

Like, people just assume

that everyone's

just like country hicks

and that

we don't know anything.

But I also can't

overthink that

'cause I don't know

what's gonna happen.

(quirky music playing)

Christina:

So we're gonna spend

a little time

looking at what

our characters actually want.

There's always something else,

something a little bit beneath

the surface of what

the text says.

So it's up to us to kind of

dig in a little bit

and figure out, what is it

that your character wants?

I play, uh, Jenner, Taysia,

and Liz, so it's like

three characters.

Christina: We're probably gonna

have to break that up, but...

They, they kinda care

about their grades a lot,

and whenever they find out

Ryan's cheating,

they're kinda like,

"This guy's the reason

why I can't get into college."

So, they definitely

put their grades over,

you know, Ryan.

-Christina:

The friendship. Right.

-Yeah.

I am aware of class rank, but...

I don't care about it.

(chuckles)

Kids worrying

about their class rank,

it can be pretty detrimental

to, like, their mental health,

and, well, their

physical health is too

because you see them

staying up till like midnight.

That, I couldn't imagine

doing that personally,

'cause I, I gotta go

to bed at ten o'clock.

Like, I'm done, you know?

It's like,

if I have work, then that's

tomorrow me's problem.

After high school,

I'm planning on going

to an art school

that has an animation program.

I love, you know, characters,

I love drawing,

I love animating,

I love all that kind of stuff.

But money is like

the biggest thing.

You have to get

so much scholarships,

but you have

to have good grades

to get scholarships.

And you have to do

really good on the ACT.

I just took the ACT

for the first time,

and I can tell you

I did horrible.

I didn't bring a calculator,

like. (laughs)

It kind of

makes me feel stuck.

It's really hard for me

to get out of West Virginia.

But if I can get

into that industry,

that'd be a perfect,

you know, job for me.

'Cause I'm doing something

that I love.

Christina:

Okay, are we ready?

student:

You wanna be my Lily?

-I'll be your Lily. Let's go.

-Okay.

-Do you want me to sing it?

-woman: Yes.

-Christina: Can you?

-Yes.

-Christina: I know Evan is not

going to be singing back to you.

-I'll speak it.

-(laughter)

-I'll speak it.

-You can speak it.

And when I do ♪ Ahh-ahh ♪

-just repeat me, okay?

-Okay.

♪ I see you there ♪

♪ Sitting across from me ♪

♪ You care ♪

♪ Only about what I think ♪

♪ But where are all

the other parts of you ♪

♪ Supposed to fit in? ♪

-My head is spinning.

-(cast laughing)

♪ Just take

a minute to breathe ♪

♪ Ahh-ahh ♪

♪ When do we come up for air? ♪

♪ These waves keep crashing

down without a care ♪

♪ They'll push you down

and spit you out ♪

♪ You'll come around

and still have doubt ♪

♪ But treading water

doesn't get you anywhere ♪

♪ When do we

come up for air? ♪

Oh, my God, Taylor.

Taylor: I'm always trying

to push myself to do harder

and, like, work to be

the best I can be

so I don't feel stuck.

My parents want me to go

to a community college,

where it's free,

I can get the same

education that I want.

But I'm wanting to go

to this other college

because I, I feel like

I would be the only

person to stay home.

You know, all of my friends,

they're going off

to these schools,

some of them even like

out of the state.

So if I were to stay home

and in Ripley,

I would feel stuck.

(pensive music playing)

Evan:

The idea of not leaving

West Virginia,

it's very deeply seated.

I mean, the hills, um,

in the first place,

when there weren't,

like, good roads,

it was physically difficult

to leave this place.

And then, the state

isn't doing well economically.

Nor is it doing well with our

good old drug epidemic, so...

it's difficult for a lot

of people

to leave for a lot

of different reasons.

You can't do much

in creativity here.

I mean you can't do anything

except fast food, retail,

and working at a plant.

But if you can leave

West Virginia,

which I'd say

about 5% of the people

who live here do,

uh, there are jobs out there,

and I just

don't think teachers

expect us to leave the state.

It almost feels like

a pipe dream to some people.

It's like, "Hey, I'm gonna go

rent a unicorn for the weekend,

I'm gonna go move

to Pittsburgh," you know.

(laughs) Those two

are about on the same level

to some people.

♪ ♪

-student: Whoo-hoo!

-David: Here we go.

Ready? Here we go.

One, two, three...

♪ Ooo, ooo ♪

♪ Hey, hey... ♪

David:

Kyle is a full-time

public theater teacher.

I'm a composer and I work

primarily in musical theater,

but when we wrote, we had...

I was like,

"Okay, we're going to write

this musical,

but it needs to be

good enough to be

a Broadway musical."

I'm not going to lower

my expectations

because we're writing this

in Granite Bay.

We're going to write

a Broadway musical.

Kyle:

We knew that we didn't

necessarily have the clout

or the funds on our own

to drive something

to New York City

and we would need help.

So our strategy

from the very beginning was,

"Let's put together

a studio recording

of some music from the show

and then let's license it

to as many schools

as possible."

David:

But then Mindy Cooper,

who's a Broadway performer

and choreographer, said,

"Take it to New York

and do a reading,"

and I was like, "What?"

Like, "We can just do that?"

And she says,

"Yeah, let's workshop the show

and then take it to New York

and pitch it to producers."

(upbeat piano music playing)

David: The plan is to just

get some investors on board

so we can hopefully do

an off-Broadway production.

Kyle: We're gonna work

with a casting director,

and we're gonna go out

and hire a bunch of

working Broadway

actors to be in our show.

Has much to work on...

-woman: Ghalangi!

-Ghalangi: Hello.

-Kyle: Ghalangi.

-David: Hello!

Mindy Cooper:

Thanks for being here.

-We'll have you sing first.

-Ghalangi: All right.

(piano plays intro)

♪ You know my dad ♪

♪ He used to tell me ♪

♪ What life was like

before rank redemption ♪

♪ Well, of course

they had ranks back then

but not like this ♪

♪ School was fun,

there were dances ♪

♪ Can you imagine a world ♪

♪ Where I could talk

with a cute girl ♪

♪ And ranks

never came up once? ♪

♪ Don't think so much ♪

♪ It's not a big deal ♪

♪ Sometimes life sucks ♪

♪ It's rarely ideal ♪

♪ Don't think so much ♪

♪ I tell myself

not to freak out ♪

♪ 'Cause you know

that totally always works ♪

♪ "Just breathe,

you'll be fine" ♪

♪ That's nice

but it's not really helping ♪

♪ Although

I don't wanna do this ♪

♪ I know the only way out

is to go through this ♪

♪ Why does it feel so wrong? ♪

♪ I don't know where I belong ♪

♪ I just know

where I'm not meant to be ♪

♪ I don't want

to hurry up and wait ♪

♪ To then find out

that I'm still too late ♪

♪ I keep yelling,

"This is not my fate!" ♪

♪ To work harder ♪

♪ Work smarter ♪

♪ Is this my fate? ♪

♪ To work harder ♪

(sighs)

♪ ♪

♪ Just breathe,

you'll be fine ♪

-(indistinct comments)

-(laughter)

Does this show sort of,

do you find resonant...?

-Whooo! Do I?

-(laughter)

Um... I feel like

this show was literally

written about

my high school experience.

I hated high school.

I would wake up feeling,

every day,

just feeling like,

this is not my place.

I went to a high school

and ended up leaving,

actually,

for my senior year,

to do theater school

in a different state

'cause the academia world

was insane.

Mindy: People have flown

in from all over the country,

as we've been learning

over the last day or so,

and that's exciting

and wonderful.

-I live in San Diego.

-Did you fly in for us?

-Yes.

-Oh, wow.

Of course, no,

I was super happy to be here.

-Maryland?

-Uh, I'm in Baltimore. Yep.

My flight goes back

to Birmingham tonight

at nine o'clock.

-Um...

-David: If you're 18

and you flew

all the way across the country

for an audition in New York,

that's a huge sacrifice.

To know that they went

through all of that

just because they cared

about it a lot,

and they

connect with the material.

(piano playing)

(sighs)

♪ I know your world

is crashing down ♪

♪ And as you hit the ground ♪

♪ Nobody hears a sound ♪

♪ When someone has to lose ♪

♪ Take a guess

at who gets screwed ♪

♪ You need it clearer ♪

♪ You need a mirror ♪

♪ Someone always bleeds ♪

♪ Today it's me ♪

-♪ Tomorrow it's you ♪

-(singer turning pages)

♪ Second view ♪ (laughs)

♪ Get a better view ♪

♪ Maybe we're all pawns ♪

♪ Maybe we got played ♪

♪ When you're drowning

in textbooks ♪

♪ You can't see

that your grade ♪

♪ Is a part of the game ♪

-I'm s--

-Kyle: No, don't apologize

for anything.

Don't apologize.

We're all theater people.

-singer: All right, cool.

-No shame.

Thank you, thank you, guys.

-Thank you.

-David: Thank you.

Mindy:

I've been running

auditions for 30 years.

I've never cried in the room.

-David: You're getting soft.

-It's just so potent.

They're so young, and...

That's true!

We're getting very, very young.

-Yeah.

-And it's just so unfettered.

Kyle: Mm-hmm.

-That's what we need though.

-Yeah.

David: This has been

my dream for my whole life,

to have a musical produced

in New York.

It's starting to happen

and that feels really,

really cool.

(soft string music playing)

(music fades)

(distant siren wailing)

(indistinct chatter)

-(laughter)

-student: Me too.

My life with a Clorox wipe.

Kami:

Last week, we got word

from the county

public health department

that they were recommending

some pretty restrictive changes

to how schools were operating.

It's unprecedented

in our lifetime,

what's happening right now.

There have been

other contagions.

They have not spread

this quickly

to as many places

on the planet.

We are scheduled

for six live performances

and none of those

are gonna happen.

We are hoping to do

one show that is filmed,

so that the kids get

to perform it on stage,

but that instead

of an audience,

we have a video camera.

woman:

Why not just cancel the play?

Why put it on for no audience?

Well, because of the kids.

You don't just cancel a play.

That's, like, unthinkable.

Theater has existed in, like,

the worst places

all over the world.

It existed during the plague

and it exists

in refugee camps.

It existed

in concentration camps.

It exists. It's the...

the deck chairs on the Titanic,

you're just gonna,

just gonna to do it...

until you can't, you know.

Kami: (over loudspeaker)

Good morning, Cupertino.

This is Ms. Tomberlain.

I'm sorry to interrupt class.

I want you to know

this is not an emergency.

Beginning Monday,

Cupertino High School

will be closed

in response

to the COVID-19 virus.

So, right now, we're

looking at three weeks,

schools closed,

online education.

Um, we want to keep everybody

safe and everybody healthy.

Thank you very much,

and I will be sending out

more information shortly.

-Hi.

-student: Hello.

This is the day we didn't

want to have to have.

Um...

I think that Megan and I would

like to go over to the theater

so that we can all put our show

into a state

of suspended animation.

(somber music playing)

Every time I get to spend time

in a circle like this,

I realize how lucky I am.

We were lucky to have been here,

we were lucky to have cared.

So...

we don't know what's gonna

happen now.

Except for the next thing we're

gonna do is clap and we'll jump,

and something will happen then.

One, two, three.

That's settled.

Christina: Obviously,

we need to talk about, um,

things getting shut down

on us today. Okay?

So first we got

the announcement

that it was just

after-school activities

that would be closed

until April 10th,

which was the weekend

we were going to perform.

Um, and then it came

that the governor

totally shut down schools

for the state.

-So, let's hope this gets

over within a month.

-I really hope so.

Christina:

I'm hoping we're back

after spring break,

but I'm also

not holding my breath.

Evan:

This feels pretty damn real.

The school's closing down,

and I don't know when

it's coming back.

Everything else is closing too.

It's crazy.

It's crazy right now.

Jane:

I'm disappointed that

the musical got canceled

because that's like, that's

my moment where I shine.

It's like the sports kids,

they don't get to finish

their season,

they don't get to be like

the senior all-star athlete.

This is as close as we come

to being an all-star athlete.

Kyle:

David and I were

having conversations

with each other

about the coronavirus,

really wondering, are we gonna

be able to get to New York

and do our reading and get out

before this happens?

Two days before we were supposed

to get on a plane to New York,

the NBA season cancels.

reporter: ...concerns

have prompted the NBA

to scrap its entire

remaining season.

Kyle:

We wake up

Thursday morning,

and that's

when Broadway closes.

reporter:

At 5 p.m. Thursday,

Broadway officially went dark.

Kyle: Broadway was closing

for the first time since

September 11th.

David:

It was an "oh shit" moment,

where your stomach sort of

turns over a little bit,

and everyone felt that

in the entire world.

Um, we were just

two more people who felt that.

(pensive music playing)

♪ Everybody's angry ♪

♪ Everybody's screamin' ♪

♪ They want someone to blame ♪

♪ But what's the real reason? ♪

♪ I tried to heed your advice ♪

♪ Just keep my eye

on the prize ♪

♪ Now take a breath

and be fine ♪

♪ Do what it takes

to survive ♪

♪ Till we run out of time ♪

♪ Tell me this is a dream ♪

♪ It's not as bad as it seems ♪

♪ Still what I don't

understand ♪

♪ Is how this got

so out of hand ♪

♪ So someone's cheating ♪

♪ Someone's always cheating ♪

♪ Always lying,

always fighting ♪

♪ Always crying ♪

♪ Make it go away ♪

♪ Will this go ♪

♪ Away? ♪

♪ It's about time that I ♪

♪ Found peace of mind ♪

♪ After all, I followed

where I was led ♪

♪ I've been told

that once I get older ♪

♪ I'll be fine ♪

♪ I'll see it was all

in my head ♪

♪ It's not all in my head ♪

So, I've been self-quarantining

for about a week now.

I believe it's day...

day 12 or...

12, I think, of, of quarantine.

This is the first time

I've ever had to do

any form of online school.

And it feels weird.

Okay, I have not gone

outside ever

in these two weeks.

I haven't even stepped foot

outside my door.

Not this door,

like outside my front door.

Ojas:

It's day 36 of quarantine.

I'm noticing that

I'm sort of forgetting

how to have a conversation

with other humans.

Could be a Tuesday,

could be a Wednesday.

I'm pretty sure neither

of those are correct though.

I think, and I hope

that this will be over

in a month or two, maybe?

I've heard that we're not

getting, like, a vaccine

for a year.

God, that sounds terrible.

Senih: My sleep schedule

is now completely flipped.

I will sleep at around 4 a.m.,

and I'll wake up

at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.

It's not very healthy for me.

We found out that someone

just down the road

was positive for the virus.

And that's very unnerving.

Of course I can Facetime

my friends,

but it's not, it's not the same,

and...

I don't think it's really good

for anyone's mental health.

Purvi:

I'm feeling really confused

and just sort of disoriented,

and I'm not really sure

what to do at the moment.

Barbara:

I'm really uncertain

with how my grades

are gonna turn out

and how that's gonna affect

my college admissions

and which college I choose.

I don't think I can do this

for another five weeks.

(laughs)

I'll try, I have to, but...

It's boring, dude.

It sucks.

I hate it.

I want to go back to school.

Kyle: Theaters aren't meant

to be empty.

There's 500 seats here.

Like, people are supposed

to be in them.

Christina:

For a lot of kids,

theater is where they find

the place where they belong.

The arts is what's

getting cut out.

You really can't

do theater very well

with a mask on your face.

Arcadia:

There really hasn't

been a time in my life

where I haven't

been backstage,

on stage, around stage.

Not knowing what it's going

to look like to move forward

is the part

that is the hardest.

What the fuck

do we do now?

Even if this dies down

over summer

and we get all of our ducks

in a row and we're back

in New York in July

because we can be,

is there even gonna be

a market for theater then?

David:

After the descent

into despair,

the Broadway dream

being on pause...

brought us back to why we wrote

the show in the first place.

We wrote the show

for the students.

(playing introduction

to "Hamilton")

♪ How does a bastard

orphan... ♪

Kyle: And then theater

started happening online.

♪ Oh, oh, oh,

you can't stop today... ♪

-♪ No! ♪

-♪ As it comes speeding

round the tracks ♪

-♪ Oo-oo-ooh! ♪

-♪ Child, yesterday

is history... ♪

-♪ Be gone! ♪

-♪ And it's never

comin' back! ♪

-(frenetic drums beating)

-Kyle: We started to see

these professionals

get a little innovative

and creative.

We realized

there was no reason

"Ranked" couldn't also be

adapted for that venue.

♪ Why do I always feel so... ♪

♪ Why do I always

feel so... ♪

♪ Why do I always feel

so forgotten? ♪

♪ Just breathe,

you'll be fine ♪

♪ You're drowning, you're

drowning, you're drowning ♪

Kyle:

We really pivoted our efforts

to getting "Ranked"

to more high schools.

Welcome to today's episode

of the "Average Update."

-We're coming to you live.

-Live!

For the special midterm edition

of the class rank update.

-I'm Nate Huge.

-And I'm Kelly Stewart!

Midterms are over,

and it's time to see how

the cards, or ranks, fell!

Yay!

-That is so good!

-That was literally amazing!

It's just so special

to us that students

get to be the ones

to bring "Ranked" to New York

for its debut.

We're just so appreciative

that y'all are able to give this

some New York life.

(string quartet playing)

Linda Key:

In the Bronx, many students

are just hungry,

hungry to succeed.

A lot of the kids come

from single-parent homes.

We have students who

might have to stay at home

to take care of siblings because

both parents are working.

The reality

for a lot of my kids is

they're in a smaller apartment

with lots of family members.

Many of their parents

are working triple shifts.

College represents

a way for them to raise

their economic state.

I mean, that's a huge thing.

For our communities, education

is your... your key to success.

Something that we're

constantly communicating

to students

is what it means

to be above average.

Like, if you

want to get into the top school,

you have to be above average.

Welcome to today's episode

of the "Average Update."

We're coming to you live

with a new--

Ooh, with a special.

I'm Nate Huge!

Or like, a little...

I'm Nate Huge!

Something like that, I gotta

put my little coolness in it.

Linda:

In many ways,

the arts is our glue

during this pandemic.

♪ You're number one ♪

♪ Now you're 30,

now down to... ♪

Isiah:

The streets are empty,

there's nobody outside.

Even when I'm inside,

it's like I can play the game,

I can watch TV,

I can practice lines,

but after I do those things,

what is there for me to do?

Like a repeating cycle,

like every day

doing the same thing.

♪ We need to come up for air ♪

♪ Take a look around ♪

♪ You're almost there ♪

Nahiely:

Everybody's

struggling right now.

It sucks that I can't be

in class with my friends.

The pandemic made everything

turn upside down,

and it isn't just

a pandemic happening.

protestors:

I can't breathe!

reporter:

Demonstrations continue today

as people took

to the streets to protest

the death of George Floyd.

-protestors: George Floyd!

-leader: Say his name!

-George Floyd! George Floyd!

-Say his name!

Isiah:

It's scary to see

how the world really is.

I'm no different

from George Floyd.

The same thing

that they did to him,

that could have been me

out there,

and I wouldn't

wish that on anybody.

protestors:

I can't breathe!

Nahiely: I have friends

that look like George Floyd.

My dad looks like

George Floyd, so it's...

just really emotional for me.

-Say his name!

-George Floyd!

-Say his name!

-George Floyd!

Say his name!

Michael:

I have a very hard time

with the George Floyd

incident.

That along with, you know,

Breonna Taylor,

Ahmaud Arbery, Emmett Till.

You know,

the situations, right,

that we were

experiencing centuries ago

are still happening,

present day.

It's really hard for me to...

to put into words

what I'm feeling...

Yeah.

protestors:

No justice, no peace!

Michael:

Our students are growing up

in a world where,

unfortunately,

because of the color

of their skin,

they're experiencing racism,

oppression.

Nahiely:

We're still drowning.

We haven't

gotten much change.

We just keep seeing situations

like this happen,

over and over and over again.

We haven't

come up for air, yet.

We still have a long way to go

before we can breathe.

♪ It's time to come up

for air ♪

♪ These waves

keep crashing down ♪

♪ But we're still there ♪

♪ So push me down

and spit me out ♪

♪ I found my ground ♪

♪ I'm not about

to throw it all away ♪

♪ Because life

won't play fair ♪

♪ I'm gonna come up for air ♪

-(horn honks)

-Lakin: At the time of me

recording this,

we are going through

the tragic events

surrounding

George Floyd and his murder.

I am in high school.

I don't have a big following.

I try to do what I can by, like,

posting on social media

to help educate people,

but it just really makes me feel

powerless sometimes, you know,

when something

huge like this goes on,

and you really,

really wanna help.

(horn honks)

No hate in my holler!

No hate

in my holler!

No hate in my holler!

Leo:

The objective of today

is kind of

just to educate

and inform people.

Because, I mean,

this is Ripley.

Like, it's a white

prominent town.

So you have a lot of people

saying, "all lives matter,"

and things

that are really racist.

Being in a small town

is no excuse for ignorance.

man:

We do have several armed

counter-demonstrators

with signs saying

they're backing the blue.

woman:

We see a lot of

second amendment folks here.

And they're saying they're

here to keep it peaceful.

Now, what do you make of that?

Do you think that that's

their intentions?

What's going on?

I think it's

an intimidation factor.

I think they're trying, yeah...

I think they're trying to,

ya know, make us go away.

So you're, you're telling me

that Black lives matter.

Okay, I agree with you.

Do not all lives matter?

-Okay, so...

-Do not all lives matter?

Leo: Can I explain it?

So yeah, all lives do matter.

But the thing is

that Black lives are,

they're going through

a racial injustice within

this country right now,

and we're trying to bring

attention to their lives.

-Okay, wow.

-(woman speaking):

-No.

-Please? You're really

close to me.

man: Okay, that's good.

Did I offend you?

And you're over here,

right in this lady's face

with no mask on.

-That just shows you

the kind of person you are.

-Son!

-For one thing,

you're as close to her--

-I got a mask on.

So what? So what?

Leo: And she didn't ask him

to back off.

Taylor: It honestly

really made me upset

that you have a bunch

of middle-aged white men

walking down the street with,

you know,

AR-15s on their backs

to try to scare these kids,

you know, protesting

for something

that actually means something.

Take it to the streets,

'cause he can't breathe.

No justice, no peace!

Take it to the streets,

'cause he can't breathe.

No justice, no peace!

Take it to the streets,

'cause he can't breathe.

No justice, no peace!

emcee: Dalton Meyers,

going to Ben Franklin

to be an electrician.

-(scattered applause)

-(indistinct chatter)

(laughs) I love you.

-I love you too, baby.

-We love you.

I like your pins.

I didn't even put mine on.

student: Dude, we match!

-Like, one of these?

-Oh, yeah.

Get the sun out of it.

I would've rather had

that traditional graduation,

but, I mean, this is cool too.

We have a parade, instead of,

like, just a Zoom meeting.

-woman: Go, Anastasia!

-emcee: Way to go,

Class of 2020!

-woman: Good job, good job!

-Anastasia, congratulations!

Anastasia:

I pictured everything

differently

than it actually is.

I'm gonna talk to my kids in

really far future, being like,

"Yeah, I was the class who

graduated during quarantine."

Barbara:

I'm super relieved that

I actually have

my diploma now,

even though the ceremony

was not like

it should have been.

I feel super great.

It's about the achievement.

emcee:

Added the sunroof!

Ojas: It feels weird

that everything is in

a drive-through fashion.

emcee:

Congratulations, Ojas!

I never really got to say

a proper thank you

and goodbye to my teachers.

student:

Whoo-hoo!

Ojas: I'm not really sure

what my future looks like.

I don't know

what's going to happen.

We're taking it

one day at a time.

(distant siren wailing)

(horn honks)

student:

♪ 5, 6, 7, 8, work ♪

students: (in singsong)

♪ And me and my friends

hold on, work ♪

♪ Walk in, walk out

and go to work ♪

♪ Hey, walk it out,

walk it out ♪

♪ Work, okay, oh, cha, cha

cha, cha, work ♪

-Nahiely: (laughing)

We should do that.

-Jolimar: Yeah, we should.

(laughing)

Linda: We're gonna be doing

the Nate and Kelly scene.

They're like a mix between

like cheerleaders

and...

Like the morning announcement

people.

So chipper,

professional,

best student ever.

student:

Mm-hmm.

"Welcome to today's episode

of the 'Average Update.'

We're coming to you live

with a special midterm edition

of the class rank updates."

-I'm Nate Huge!

-"And I'm Kelly Stewart.

It's Friday, October 15th."

"You have a few extra days

until these essays boom

or bust your rank,

so take the weekend

and celebrate."

So, can you show me some crazy

high-school way to celebrate?

Like, celebrate, waah!

Give me something there! Okay?

-Fantastic, Zaya, that's great.

-Good job, good job.

All right, we are act I,

scene II, page 21.

Putting on a virtual play

is one thing.

Putting on

a virtual musical

is a whole different

ball game.

And then you're gonna take

your right hand

and pull on this side

of your face so maybe...

Hayley Wright:

We have the kids

that have opted in

for in-person learning

while we have the majority

of our cast still remote.

♪ The tiniest lifeboat... ♪

Linda: We did all

of the auditions remotely.

♪ Feels like I might spend

the whole year... ♪

Linda:

I have a lot of students

doing their whole school day,

often in the bathroom,

or I had one student

who found a little corner

of the closet.

A lot of students

don't have another room

where they can have quiet.

(indistinct chatter)

We bought green screens.

We have

a sound recording studio.

It's gonna be like

a mix between

a movie musical, Zoom,

and an actual movie.

Hayley: My hope for how

we will premiere "Ranked"

is to have a big day

where everyone was

in the auditorium,

was watching

on our big screen.

♪ I've always been

the good little sister ♪

♪ Never even tried

to speak my mind ♪

♪ Just keep my lips on lock ♪

♪ Don't take

the chance to talk ♪

♪ But the thoughts in my head

still scream and shout ♪

Excellent,

excellent work, honey!

We just took everything

another bunch of steps.

Jolimar:

I was born and raised in

the Dominican Republic.

I moved to New York

at the age of 9.

My mom thought that

in New York City

we were able

to seek a better life,

a better future.

I made a vow to myself

when I came here, I was like,

when I finally learn English,

I'll make sure that I'm

the best student that I can.

Maybe not get like Salutatorian

and, and Valedictorian.

But maybe the best student

as I can.

I've always wanted

to go to college,

but being able to pay

for college is a big factor

into my college

application process.

Not being able to pay for

the college of your dreams,

it breaks your heart.

You have the potential,

but just because

you can't afford it,

you're not able to go,

and somebody else

can because they are,

and it's kind of unfair,

but that's just the way

the world is.

I live with my mom

and my sister.

I used to live with

my aunts and uncles

and cousins

in the same apartment.

You know, you come

from the bottom

and have to work your way up.

My mom, she has done

so much for us

in order to have

what we have now.

The most important for me is

my daughters.

(speaking Spanish)

Oooh, five more minutes.

I'm nervous!

I always wanted

to go to college

to pursue my dream

as an actor.

Also, like,

learn other skills.

Like, be a entrepreneur.

It would really mean a lot.

My mom, she didn't

have the chance to go,

my brother didn't get

a chance to go,

so being that I'm getting

a chance to go,

I want to take advantage

of this opportunity.

There've been

things in my life

that pushed me back

and made me feel like

I couldn't do it,

but like getting there

and going to college

would just make me feel

like I could do anything.

(computer chimes)

Hello.

Well, welcome

to the audition, sir.

Um, thank you, first of all,

for auditioning for us.

So, what monologues

will you be doing

for me today, Mr. Sampson?

Today, I will be performing

Twilight

from the play

"Twilight: Los Angeles 1992."

So, a lot of the times

when I brought up the idea

to my homeboys,

they say, "Twilight.

That's before your time,

that's something

you can't do now."

When I talked about the truce

back in 1988,

that was something they'd

consider before it's time.

Yet in 1992,

we made it realistic.

So, to me it's like

I'm stuck in a limbo,

like the sun is stuck

between night and day

in the twilight hours, you know?

You're nervous,

aren't you?

Just a little bit.

'Cause your energy right now

is sort of like

"Ahhh!"

and you do not need

to be.

I want you to sort of...

"I'm gonna own it.

I'm gonna own everything..."

Isiah:

I know, like, this college

application process

is competitive

and, just, financially,

I'm just scared I will

have to go with probably

my second choice

or my third choice,

just being that

I wouldn't be able

to afford my top choice.

Your little skinny self

should have went over there.

Michqwelyn:

Isiah is the driven one, like,

he has that drive,

that ambition.

Like, he just, he goes for it.

And this acting career

that he is going after,

he really wants it.

Like a whole other time,

it was a major disaster.

When I brought up the ideas

to my homeboys,

they say, "Twilight..."

Oft, I have picked up

dead men from the grave

and set them upright

at their dead friend's door.

-I felt that. That was dope.

-Isiah: Thank you.

-Zay, why do you have

so many tabs open?

-Dope.

'Cause I'm applying

to college right now.

Michqwelyn:

I want them to have

a better life than me.

Not saying my life is bad,

but I just want them to be...

don't have to struggle,

like, it's, it's hard out here.

So I just want them to...

be what they want to be

when they grow up.

Isiah's like his dad.

When he wants something,

he goes for it.

And he won't stop

until he gets it.

Isiah has that drive,

just like Rob.

That's how Rob was.

Isiah:

My dad, he passed away

freshman year.

I lost myself, in a way.

It set me back a lot,

like with grades.

But I realized that

he would want me to pursue

my dream as an actor.

Now, I'm in

the National Honor Society.

My grades is good,

I'm doing good

in all my classes.

I'm on top of my stuff.

I know he's probably

looking down at me right now,

in this moment, and like,

he's probably proud of me,

and I just want to continue

to make him proud.

This is, like,

my good luck charm.

Um, it's hung over my bed

right now, um...

I don't know, I'm gettin'

emotional right now.

I actually kiss up to my dad

every night, um...

Just knowing that he's not here

and he can't like,

really, like, experience the

things that I'm experiencing,

be proud of me, be happy

for his son,

tell his son that...

he loves him.

And even me telling my dad

that I love him.

It just hurts me every day.

So, I'm gonna make sure that,

um...

I might give back in a way,

um, you know.

Everything he gave to me,

I'm gonna give back, I promise.

One, two, ready, play!

(drums beating)

-(cheering)

-(whistle blows)

announcer:

It's the pride

of Jackson County,

the Ripley High School

Fighting Marching Band!

-(bells clanging)

-(students cheering)

Leo:

Our first football game,

even with like COVID

and everything.

Tonight is senior night.

They'll be calling

my name out.

announcer:

Band member for eight years

and has plans to major

in animation in college.

(applause)

Leo:

My mom is in Tennessee,

so I've been living

alone here in Ripley.

My stepdad

got a job down there

so she goes back to Tennessee

like every other week.

And she knows

that I'm fine up here.

I do everything.

I do all the cleaning.

I do all the cooking and

the laundry and all that.

Like, I feel like I'm already

ready to be living on my own.

I've been applying to

a couple different schools.

And a lot of this stuff is,

like, money.

It's just like...

whether or not I can get in

is a whole other thing,

but like, even if I do get in,

can I pay for it?

I applied for so many

scholarships already.

I mean,

I've heard nothing back.

A lot of these scholarships,

it's like you have to be like

super, super smart.

You have to be making like

a 4.0, maybe like more.

I'm trying to save up

for college.

The American Dream,

like, it's the idea

that if you work hard enough,

you can get a good education,

you can get a good job.

I mean, obviously, that's

just like not always true.

At this point, it's like,

can I get into these colleges

and can I pay for it?

So that's kinda like what I'm

worried about right now.

Maisie, up!

Right now life is a lot slower

than what I'd like it to be.

I'm going

to West Virginia University

at Parkersburg

and my major

is Business Administration.

It's been weird transitioning

from high school to college

without being in college.

Constant surveillance

to literally none,

not even like a classroom

to have a teacher,

like, look me in the eyes

and tell me what to do.

I am feeling

isolated right now.

I did buy a ring light

for college.

Most people would think,

"Oh, you bought it

so the lighting is better

so maybe the teacher

can see you."

No, there's a cute girl

in my business class,

and I wanted to look good

for her on the Zoom meeting!

Hello.

I think students

are coming to their senses

about how much college

is really worth

versus how much

you're spending on it.

A more basic college degree,

it's getting you

the same education,

but you're saving tens if not

hundreds of thousands of dollars

in student debt down the road.

(dog barking)

Anne:

With the virus going on,

I'm not sure how, like,

my future plans

are gonna work out.

It's kinda nerve-wracking.

I decided I didn't want

to be a teacher.

And I really think

the virus has a big thing

to play with that.

I'm not sure

I would be strong enough

to do that for years.

I've really been thinking

about special effects more.

I've been practicing

a little bit.

I looked up

special effects schools,

and I realized,

maybe I can do the arts.

How in the world

did you go from,

"I wanna teach little kids

and help them grow"

to, "I want to, um,

make people look

like they've been

in a car accident"?

I feel like teaching is more

like a hardcore job,

kinda like your basic job

that you hear about,

like the lawyers, doctors.

I feel like teaching kind

of goes into that category,

and I don't want to be normal.

I can't let the virus stop me

from really becoming

who I wanna become.

I still have

to live my dreams.

And if it doesn't work out,

that's okay, it was fun!

It's better to say,

"Hey, I almost became

a special effects artist"

than say I didn't try.

(distant siren wailing)

-Linda: Ba, ba, ba.

-Jolimar: Ba, ba, ba.

-Pa, pa, pa.

I started acting when

I was in middle school.

Ms. Key has pushed me

into being the best actress,

creative artist as I can.

I really want to become

professional.

Let's go through what's

coming up for you

in terms

of your auditions.

Jolimar:

I'm applying to like

13 schools in total.

I don't have a dream school.

I don't really want to get

attached to one and get sad

because I didn't get in.

teacher:

Hi, Jolimar!

Bernard Cummings:

Hi, Jolimar!

Thank you so much

for auditioning for us.

Um, we know

what a really strange

and crazy process

this is.

The stage is all yours.

Yes.

You promised me my life,

but you lied.

And by your wanting

to take them away from me

or from any human creature,

I know that your counsel

is of the devil

and that mine is of God!

You took on "Saint Joan"

by Shaw.

And you personalized it

and made it your own,

which is something

that I love about it.

I want you to do the whole

"Saint Joan" in Spanish.

Okay. (laughs)

Let's say

you are an immigrant.

You're down here

at the Texas border.

They've yanked

your child from you.

You're in a cage.

Some right-wing

politician comes

and wants to look

through the cage

and ask you

how you feel.

(in Spanish)

Thank you.

Wow, I'm sorry,

you got me emotional

with that monologue.

There's a real energy

out of you,

and it, it's just

absolutely wonderful.

So walk into any

and every audition

you have coming up

with great confidence.

-Bye, thank you so much!

-Bye.

(shrieks)

I don't know how to feel!

♪ I've always been

the good little sister ♪

(laughs)

♪ Just keep my lips on lock ♪

♪ Don't take the chance

to talk ♪

Oh, my gosh, that was

the audition of my life, ah!

Wow. Okay.

Senih: I got a job,

started making money.

Got a car, all that fun stuff.

I guess I was very scared

of the idea that

I would just stay home

and do nothing

and be completely

satisfied with that.

-Hey, how're you guys doing?

-Hi, good. How are you?

-Senih: Good, good.

-Thank you.

There you go.

And I'll give you that.

-I'll be right back

with some water for you guys.

-That'd be great.

Senih:

I do expect more out of me now

than I would a year ago.

I know myself better than I did,

and I think that kind of

motivates me to do more.

I've been able

to kind of be my own person.

Because of my grades,

I didn't feel like

I was in a position

where I got to really be

too picky with where

I went to college.

...and the basic

burger is pretty big.

I applied to

a bunch of different schools.

I'm planning on going as

far away as I can from home,

you know, New York, hopefully.

I've never really lived

outside of my parents'

sphere of influence,

so it's gonna be nice

to make my own choices.

You know, the opportunity

to learn how to live by myself.

That's what I think of

when I think of college.

Where is it?

Sign in, there we go.

Okay.

Oh, this is scary!

Ah!

Okay, three, two, one...

(perky music playing)

Holy...

Okay, so I got waitlisted.

-Waiting list isn't bad.

-Yeah.

-It's not a rejection.

-Okay.

I got rejected.

It's...

it's pretty disappointing.

"I wish that a different

decision had been possible."

Do you, Harvard?

Do you really?

Because if you wish it,

you would have done it. (laughs)

-Oh, no.

-Oh, my God.

Ah, I got in!

(shrieking)

mother:

You have been accepted!

Whoo! Let's go!

I'm officially an Illini now,

so that's exciting.

(mother speaking Japanese)

That's such a relief.

It's my first college.

Worst case, I got into college!

Aaaah!

We almost in, y'all.

We at the finish line.

We almost did it, so...

I am so excited.

I've been accepted

to one of the schools

that I really want to go to.

Congratulations!

I got

a $100,000 scholarship.

Michael Johnson:

Today is college decision day.

We come together

to celebrate them,

to encourage them,

and to just acknowledge

all of the hard work

that our seniors have achieved

and the challenges

that they've overcome

this academic year.

Today marks an extremely

significant day for each of you.

Today is the day you decide

how you will spend

the next two to four years

of your life

as you pursue

post-secondary education.

Linda: Many of our seniors

have gotten into

their first choice school,

some are waiting

for a few more decisions.

The students

are going to have to see

what the financial aid

packages are.

For our students,

it's not a possibility

to come out of school

with a $200,000 student loan.

That would be sort of crippling

if they were going

into the arts as a career.

They need to find

the best option

to enter the career path

of their choice

with very little debt.

Isiah:

A lot of my friends

are on urge

of making

their decisions already.

Some already made

their decision.

It just kind of make me like,

"Dang, I wish I knew

where I was going."

I heard back

from Howard University

and Chapman University

in California.

I got into Chapman,

but I got waitlisted

for Howard.

Being told no,

ya know, it just, like,

it's messing with my,

like, my whole plan

of where

I wanna go to college.

I'm really stuck

in the middle right now.

I don't have all the answers,

you know, to financial aid.

Just this week me and my mom

had been talking.

She was just saying that

she don't want me in debt.

I'm young and she doesn't want

all that on me at a young age.

She doesn't want it

to mess me up in the future.

At the end of the day

it's my decision,

and honestly for my dream,

I wouldn't, I wouldn't mind

being in debt,

and that's what I told my mom.

I told my mom everything

can go in my name.

"I don't want nothing--

I don't want nothing on you.

I want everything on me because

it's my dream, it's my life,

and I should be taking

accountability for what I want."

Linda: All of us

in the arts department

are committed to our students

living their dreams,

so, like, we'll exhaust

every possibility

to help them

find the money.

-Whoo!

-Linda: Wait, wait, wait!

-Isiah: Can't forget you!

both:

Whoo! Whoo!

-Isiah: You know that!

-Linda: All right, man.

Linda: Last time we talked,

we talked a lot about Howard.

But as luck will have it,

you seem like you have

another choice...

-Isiah: Yes.

-...that has come to you.

My other choice is Chapman

University in California.

-Linda: Great.

-For screen acting, so...

You got their financial aid

package back.

So, what they gave me,

approximately 57,000,

and then the rest

I'll have to like, it's 18.

-Linda: 18,000 per year.

-18,000, you know.

(tearfully)

We're really proud of you.

Don't cry, miss.

What you about to tell me?

Linda: We love you,

and we know your dream.

And we've got

really good news.

You got a scholarship,

so you don't have

to pay the 18,000.

Nah, you're serious?

Yeah.

I don't...

I'm not even like,

y'all know, like, I--

I'm not even the person to like,

with these reaction things,

but, are you serious?

Yeah.

Thank you, thank you so much.

Right now, you know,

I don't want to cry.

Don't, I can't look at you guys.

Ma, somebody's gonna pay for me,

you know, I'm happy right now.

I can't stop cheesing, ya know.

Somebody's gonna pay.

Michqwelyn: (on phone)

Wait, I can't--

you're breaking up, wait.

You hear me?

They, they're gonna...

Michqwelyn:

Are you serious?

Yes, Ma, they're gonna do that.

Yes, Ma, yes, yes, yes, yes.

You don't have to worry

no more, so...

- Michqwelyn: That's your dad.

-Oh, wow.

Thank you.

Oh, man. Oh, man.

-I can't. I'm happy...

-(teachers laughing)

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

(peaceful music playing)

California.

It's a lot of

emotions going on,

but like, I'm just ready.

Ready when you are.

Senih:

Growing up in America,

you get the sense

of graduation being like

this huge moment in your life.

Nice, all right, we're good.

We're set.

I guess it's supposed

to feel, like, magical

or you know like you're coming

to an end of something.

But it's not something

I got from my parents a lot.

They're not

too excited because

in Turkey, it's not

the biggest deal to graduate.

So, when I walk across

the stage,

I'm not expecting much

from my dad.

You know, just the usual,

"Hey, congrats, you did it,

high school is over,

get to college," you know.

-Front? Is this okay?

-Yeah.

-Does that look good?

-Yeah.

Senih:

Over the past year,

my relationship

with my dad

has gotten better.

I'm less reliant on, I guess,

that sense of approval.

You know, moving away from him

now, going to college,

I'm going to be put

in a situation where

I need to do what I do

for myself and then

I guess hopefully

whatever I do,

he'll be supportive of that.

announcer:

Senih Okuycucu!

(cheering and applause)

Senih:

I made it, so I guess

that's what matters.

father:

He went from being

this little teenager

fighting with his brothers

to being a responsible man,

and I'm very proud

to see that.

Senih!

I don't know,

it hit me like that's it.

Like, he's gone.

He's gone and,

and I don't know, I...

maybe I didn't appreciate

our time together.

I don't know, it felt like,

oh, we could have done more...

I don't know.

Senih:

I did it!

(indistinct chatter)

Senih:

Thank you.

father:

I may not really see him

as much as I used to

maybe for the rest of my life.

Graduation is kind of like

an explicit milestone

that kind of symbolizes

all of that at once.

It's a lot of emotions,

actually.

(peaceful music playing)

(music fades)

Isiah:

I knew the day was gonna come,

but I didn't expect it

to come fast, you know.

It's just sad

because it's come at a end

and you only get high school

once in a lifetime.

I'm also sad because,

it's like,

my dad couldn't

make it here for me today.

It would have been wonderful

to have both parents

at my graduation.

Looking sharp, kiddo.

Hey.

I'm so proud, man.

I wish your dad was here.

Isiah:

He's watching me,

that's all I can say.

He's watching me, he's proud.

And I'm proud that I did it,

and I'm proud that I got here,

'cause I know that's

what he wanted.

And now I'm sad

and I'm trying to be happy.

But it's a good day today,

so, ya know, I'm gonna be happy.

Jolimar:

Yeah, I'm excited that,

finally,

everything that

I have worked for

throughout the past

three years

has finally paid off.

I'm very happy that

I don't have to take

any student loans

or be in debt

for the next year.

NYU gave me a full ride.

Now we're having

a graduation

which not a lot of people

had last year

because of COVID and stuff,

so I'm grateful.

My cap says, "porque puedo

y me lo merezco" in Spanish,

and that translates to

"because I can

and I deserve it."

(mother speaking Spanish)

woman:

It is with great pleasure

that I welcome you

to Fordham High School

for the Arts'

commencement ceremony for

the graduating class of 2021.

(cheering and applause)

Michael: I stand here

staring at you in awe,

as your proud principal

and filled with

so many emotions.

-(cheering)

-Too early in the speech.

I'm sorry that we couldn't

give you all the senior year...

student 1:

Don't cry.

student 2:

Aw.

I'm sorry

that we couldn't give you

the senior year

you rightfully deserve...

student:

We love you!

(cheering and applause)

Go out into this world,

hold your head high,

be proud of who you are,

what you've accomplished,

and most definitely

where you come from.

Congratulations.

I now pronounce you

official graduates

from Fordham High School

for the Arts

on the 25th day of June 2021.

You may now transfer

your tassels to your right!

student:

We outta here!

(cheering continues)

(lively piano music playing)

(train clattering)

Kyle: We're here

in New York City because

we wanted to be

at the New York premiere

of "Ranked."

(crowd applauding)

(crowd cheering)

Linda:

Jolimar Perez!

Next we have Nahiely!

We have Isiah,

senior drama major.

(cheering)

-Linda: What are you wearing?

-Amazon.

-Linda: Ama-- Oh! Amazon!

-student: Yeah!

David: Seeing the kids

going on their red carpet,

striking a pose,

feeling really special

and feeling like a superstar

and looking

like superstars too,

it reminds you of what

we've all been missing.

(orchestral intro playing)

student:

Whoo!

(cheering and applause)

♪ What could I say ♪

♪ If it turns out I failed? ♪

♪ What should you do ♪

♪ When the water

you've bailed ♪

♪ Is rushing back in? ♪

She's got a great voice.

♪ You know you can't win ♪

♪ You're drowning,

you're drowning ♪

♪ You're drowning... ♪

♪ Better learn how to swim ♪

(upbeat music playing)

David:

We wrote "Ranked,"

we never dreamed

that anyone else

would ever even do it

or know about it.

♪ Until we come up

for air ♪

♪ These waves keep

crashing down ♪

♪ Without a care ♪

♪ They push me down ♪

♪ They spit you out... ♪

David:

The beauty of theater

is that people

can come together

and feel a part of something

and feel connected

to each other.

♪ I'm gonna come up for air ♪

♪ I'm gonna come up ♪

♪ For air ♪

♪ I'm gonna come up for air ♪

♪ I'm gonna come up ♪

♪ For air... ♪

David:

We need this.

♪ You're finally

breathing ♪

♪ For the first time ♪

♪ You finally found

your peace of mind ♪

♪ So don't you

throw it all away ♪

♪ Don't throw it

all away ♪

♪ Don't throw it all away ♪

♪ Don't throw it

all away ♪

♪ Don't throw it all away ♪

♪ Don't throw it

all away ♪

(pensive music playing)

Kyle:

The moment that made me

the most emotional

was green screen stuff

of you guys.

Like, I got to see you all

in your homes, like,

just being silly

and being kids,

and I stopped seeing all

these characters that we wrote

and I just got to see you

and I got to see you, um...

(clears throat)

Uh, I got to see you

just making art,

not worrying about a pandemic,

and having fun and being silly.

It was just such a, um,

just a really great reminder

that, you know,

you're all still here

and you're gonna be okay.

And we're gonna move on

and keep,

keep making meaningful art.

(peaceful music continues)

♪ Everything changes... ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Everything changes... ♪

♪ When does this feeling

go away? ♪

-♪ Everything changes... ♪

-♪ What it takes

to survive... ♪

(singing in rounds)

-♪ Just breathe... ♪

-♪ You're drowning,

you're drowning... ♪

♪ Everything changes ♪

♪ Come up for air... ♪

all:

♪ When will this change? ♪

(soulful orchestral coda

playing)

(viewers laughing)

(switch clicks)

(rock music playing)

I just calculated day 452

since the first COVID

lockdown in California.

So, pretty wild.

Um, approaching 500 days.

(clears throat)

That's crazy.

Today we at

Chapman University.

You know the vibe,

guys.

It's me and mommy

here today.

Move-in day.

-Feelin' good.

-I love this place.

-Yeah.

-Oh, my gosh, it's so awesome.

It is really nice

out here, guys.

Like, really nice,

the people are wonderful.

Michqwelyn: The people

are really wonderful.

The scenery, guys,

just look at everything,

you know?

Moved into my dorm,

in SUNY Binghamton.

Super excited.

Here's my desk

and everything.

There's my side

of the bed,

that's my roommate's.

Looking forward

to an exciting year.

I am still working

at Country Canine

Groom and Board.

I've been with them

for about four months now.

Best first job

I could have

ever asked for.

Working,

saving up money

for California.

And I'm gonna be

a makeup artist.

I leave for school

in 30 days

from today.

I'll be moved in

on September 5th,

and I started

packing,

and I'm really

excited to live

in New York

for the next

four years.

I'm starting

at West Virginia

University

at Parkersburg,

which isn't far

from home,

so I'm still

here at my

parents' crib.

And while I'm here,

I'm working

on a new

YouTube series

that quite frankly

I think

can take over

the internet.

I am currently

in my college dorm.

I committed

to Cornell University.

I have a single dorm

as you guys saw.

I honestly really

love it here,

so I'm just

excited to see

what's gonna

happen in the next

four years, but yeah.

I'm finally going out

at school, everything

I've been working for.

This is my freshman year,

it's like it's

finally happening.

See? I'm excited.

I'm really happy

with where I am at

right now in life.

I'm doing great,

and I'm still at De Anza.

Uh, planning to transfer

to UCLA though,

um, next school year,

which I am

very excited for,

but I am working

real hard to do that,

to make the plan

a reality.

I'm working on

my associates degree

in stenography

at BridgeValley

Community College,

and I'm also still working

at I Scream Sundae

and Hallowbeans.

Hi, everyone.

I'm at lunch right now

in Sichoba,

a little art

installation

that they have here

in New York City.

I'm in college.

I have studio

in just a few minutes,

so I'll see you guys later.

(peaceful music playing)

My So-Called High School Rank (2022) - full transcript