Delivery Boy

by Jaden Gines

One Act Play, 2f 2m 1 any (flexible)

Jaden Alvaro Gines's DELIVERY BOY is a unique seriocomedy that focuses heavily on the lower middle class of America, giving perspective on the families who are stuck in a never ending struggle of spending every last bit of money to stay exactly where they are. The play deals with the slow, clawing nature of depression, mental illness, and generational trauma, with a heavy emphasis on the hefty burden of the college admissions economics— all seen through the eyes of a teenager on the cusp of securing a college experience with the help of his psychology teacher. With two hours to midnight on New Year's Eve, Delivery Boy is stuck delivering pizzas on his old, rusty bicycle in the center of working class suburbia. After years of economic strife, a raging dependency on marijuana, and physically and emotionally unavailable parents, Delivery Boy has accepted that his dreams of college have been long extinguished. But when an opportunity for a better life is presented to him by his high school psychology professor, Mrs. Gonzales, Delivery Boy must come to terms with those he's lost, who he wants to be, and what lies ahead of him in the new year, all while the clock ticks down to midnight.

About the Author

Jaden Alvaro Gines (they/them) is a Genderqueer, Latino playwright from working class New Jersey. Their work focuses heavily on the issues plaguing middle class America, touching on topics such as economic strife, the American dream, Trans and Queer bodies, and the attempt at life as an everyday working person. They attempt to reflect the people from their communities that would otherwise be forgotten in the theater world, and produce work that has been put to the side in the craft in recent years. Most recently, their play The Z.U.M. was presented in New York through Permafrost Theatre Collective in February. Their work has been produced by the Elif Collective, Kitchen Sink Theatre Company, Theatermania.com, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and they have had the pleasure of collaborating with other fine artists and collectives in and around Philadelphia and New York. Honors; 2024 BroadwayWorld Off-Broadway award nominee.