Small Block - Act One

It's Homecoming Weekend in North Texas, 1994. Fourteen-year-old P is barely holding it together, shaving a single whisker in the bathroom mirror, writing a note he almost can't take back, and dialing his best friend Kev before a Zippo flame turns fear into momentum.At school, P's movie-trivia fluency sabotages Kev in a "battle of the sexes" quiz, earning heat from Kev and former best friend Bex. After class, the band - P, Kev, and Dizzy - argues Pantera vs. Korn, then mainlines '90s VHS nostalgia with Ace Ventura and The Crow.Then the impossible slides by in stainless steel: a DeLorean. Its driver, "Miss World," knows her metal, quotes regrets, and won't take three teens on a joyride yet. She'll be back tomorrow at 11 A.M.Under Friday-night lights, P pulls down a highlight-reel TD in a scrappy eighth-grade pickup game while Dizzy's hustling block saves the play. Back in the stands, P's parents pitch football and fitting in. P keeps tugging his shirt straight and his purple beanie low, but the question won't leave him alone: who is he allowed to be, especially if the words for it don't exist here?SMALL BLOCK is a feature screenplay by Ashley Lauren, performed live and mixed like a feature film for your ears. From the award-winning team at TABLE READ / Manifest Media Productions.Content Advisory: This episode contains suicidal ideation, transphobic and homophobic language, and minor fatphobic language, used intentionally to serve the story and its period portrayal.New episodes drop Tuesdays. Subscribe now.Cast (Full Feature):P - Levi DaffernerKev - Kosi EguchiBex - Piper KingstonDizzy - Deryck HakMiss World - Lydia TinsleyDad - Adam PilverMrs. D - Gemma KyleMom - Leah ZhangBritt - Eric MillerTiff / Martha - Avery NorrisMr. Welch / Kev's Dad - Eddie AguirreDan / Zach - Aidan DickJack - Kellen RoseJames - Michael Amir NashRob - Jack MurphyJanet / Video Store Clerk - Sabrina ArissNarrator - Paula TisoWritten by Ashley LaurenProduced by Jack Levy, Mark Knell, and Shaan Sharma for TABLE READ / Manifest MediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.