RELOAD A Written Creative Work submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of < the requirements for theDegree XO16, ETMC,CU Master of Arts • S 3 5 4 In English: Creative Writing by Branden Edward Balenzuela San Francisco, California August 2016 Copyright by Branden Edward Balenzuela 2016 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read Reload by Branden Edward Balenzuela, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in English: Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. Michelle Carter Professor of Creative Writing Andrew Joron Professor of Creative Writing RELOAD Branden Edward Balenzuela San Francisco, California 2016 Reload is a play that revolves around themes of gang life, love, youth, & family. In 2011 Reload was bom first as a poem, and now, 5 years later, has become a full length play. What you are about to read is the preliminary draft of the full length play, Reload. The story follows a young romance caught in the middle of close encounters and the chaos of trying to maintain balance and position in a world, cutthroat and hunting for power. I certify that the Written Creative Work is a correct representation of the content of this written creative work. / 2- - <S» - / (> Chair, Thesis Committee Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I’d like to thank, first and foremost, the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District for raising me to write this play. The events within are drawn either from memory, experience, or second hand account of life growing up in The Mission, where the gangs were very much a part of the everyday life of the people. While crafting this play, I drew almost all inspiration from the neighborhood I grew up in. I’d also like to thank my professors Anne Galjour & Michelle Carter for bringing me into the world of playwriting, as well as good friends Kat Evasco, Anna Maria Luera, Ramon Jackson, & Omar Osoria for helping me along the way with this play. This is for all youth lost to the streets, all those losing their homes in The Mission, our Mission. For all those who are stuck in cycles like these, making something from nothing, as well for all of those who made it out. Peace v Timeline Past The First Reload........................................................................................................................ 1 Thursday Cutting Class.............................................................................................................................7 Housing The Outlaw ...............................................................................................................19 Hit or Run ............................................................................................................................... 25 Circumstances of Birth ..........................................................................................................28 Friday Principal’s Office....................................................................................................................33 Outside Looking I n ................................................................................................................ 39 Isolation................................................................................................................................... 47 Walls of Purpose......................................................................................................................50 Saturday Barrio Date............................................................................................................................... 57 At the Park ..............................................................................................................................64 Eddy’s Death............................................................................................................................73 The Bus Ride............................................................................................................................77 Ready, A im .............................................................................................................................85 Sunday R eload..................................................................................................................................... 90 Thursday Jaqui’s Peace............................................................................................................................96 Characters There are 11 Male characters and 6 Female Characters For production, actors & actresses take on multiple, non-overlapping roles Jimmy aka The Dropout - M -16 Jaqui - F -17 Eddy - M -18 Seven aka The OG - M - 43 Said -F-43 Javi aka The Young Gun — M - 21 Maka aka The Outlaw - M - 25 Theresa - F - 25 Jr. -M -10 Angelo - M - 7 Niko -M - 21 Gonz -M -17 Jessica - F -18 Elderly Woman - F -6 0 ’s or early 70’s Substitute Teacher - M - 30’s Security Guard - M - 30’s Maka’s Mother - F - 40 1 The Past The First Reload At Rise: Center stage, a younger Seven & Said are there, waiting, staring intently around the crowd. Jimmy, Eddy &Jaqui(dressed in their younger versions) are running around[stage left]. The speakers are playing Spanish music from that side of the stage, the vibe being Ritmo Latino. There’s conversation, there’s laughing, there’s music. They continue running, playing tag or something. This is stage left. Downstage, younger versions of Javi, Maka, Niko, & Gonz, on bikes, roll up, still down center, as if standing on opposing street comers at an intersection from Said & Seven. The scene breathes for a long long beat. A sound like a car going, a sound like another car intercepting it as Seven & Said Pull Up, stopping it, slight collision, breaks the music. Jaqui & Eddy run off stage right, Jimmy slowly moves towards center[backdrop: now posted in front of the store]. Gun shots, Jimmy freezes. Javi & crew freeze. Seven & Said are walking towards the car that pulled up, firing shots. Over the sound system ‘Lock the doors! Lock the doors! 2 Everyone inside!’ All noise cuts. Jaqui is at Jimmy’s back on the other side of the glass window of the storefront. JIMMY It’s Sunday I’m with moms, or I mean, GiGi I call her mom, but she’s Jaqui’s mom It’s me, GiGi, Jaqui, & Eddy He’s my cousin, but really He’s like my brother JAVI My brothers in arms at my back Niko, Gonz, y Maka Short 4 Makaveli, like 2 Pack Pero, Maka’s loco More loco than that 2 Pack MAKA It’s just like I saw in the movie I was listening to my brother on the phone I don’t know who he was talking to But all I heard was ‘paga el tirador’ Which means, pay the shooter My eyes were fixed on the TV He was running for his life through the alley Then BOOM, shot in the back... 3 SEVEN It’s done... The last of los pinche Guerillas Those insurgent insects Gunnin for my throne My reign atop the distribution chain Here I am, king of the bullets! Nobody else standing in front of me I look down staring into the empty chambers & I wonder; Who’s at my back... JIMMY A brother I love, & Jaqui A good good friend, who I love &moms, GiGI, she’s probably worried the speakers just said lock the doors &here we three are running around like crazy kids &here I am outside the store... locked out... JAVI Maka es so loco He’d run out into the intersection &shank that foo wit the gun But he’s dumb for that blindness Cause he’d get shot by those other foos hella quick MAKA &now this guy, he’s right here I mean, he didn’t get shot in the back with a fatass shotgun &he wasn’t running through an alley... But yo! He just got fucked up! Straight Bam Bam! Boom! Buh buh buh! All 6 shots yo! To the chest! SEVEN It just got real silent... Like.. .deafening JIMMY I see her screaming in my head But I can’t hear the scream No echo, no car horns, no underground train I can’t hear anything JAVI [shouting] YO WHY’S IT HELLA QUIET RIGHT NOW WHAT’S THAT RINGING YO, YOU FUCKERS HEAR THAT? MAKA You ever see something shine or shimmer in the sunlight &hear the sheen of it? Like steel? Or have you ever seen an image stretch out of a sliver of a surface reflection? Yo.. .I’m high as fuck Why you standing there like you seen a ghost Gonz? [laughs] 5 SEVEN A chill surges from my neck through my spine &splits at my legs &trickles to my toes... I freeze, staring down at the body The holes in his chest Until the echoes of Said’s words break the silence & I hear the sirens [sirens faintly fade in over sound system. Said’s voice from offstage ‘Yo, we gotta go. Now! Vamos!’ They exit stage left] JIMMY I wanna run But where? I wanna be held by my mom But where is she? Where’s Jaqui? Where’s Eddy? Are they ok? Where’s GiGi... [yells] Gigi! Mommy! Momma! Mom where are you GiGi [cries out] MOMMY! MAMA! MAMA!! MAMA!!! JAVI [still yelling] OH SHIT, LOOK AT THAT BOY YO FUCKERS, LET’S GO! THOSE FOOS ARE LEAVING! [turns around] YO WHERE’D YOU FUCKERS GO! MAKA VAMOS! [runs off stage left] MAKA [walking towards the body] Holy fuck... he’s really dead &all I can hear over the sirens over the cries &echoes of everything bouncing off buildings all I can hear ‘paga el tirador’ JIMMY Mommy.. .where are you... Nobody’s coming... No GiGi. No one... So I’ll do all I knew I could. I breathe Deeply, and then I’ll run Towards the park So I could hide by my tree With my hill at my back Where I’ll be alone in my castle But safe, where everyone else Will be safe -BLACKOUT- 7 Thursday. 11:10 a.m Cuttin ’ Class Performance Notes: Jaqui: All italics are to