by Kate Karstens
Following the touring Broadway production of American Idiot in 2014, comes another theatrical work from the critically acclaimed director, Amy E. Poe. Following her national success with Big Fish, Poe will return to the stage apart from McLean High School with her rendition of American Idiot, a play featuring music from the band, Green Day.
The piece will feature young adults from both McLean High School and universities such as New York University and Brown University. Poe’s resignation from McLean after five years is due to a lack of artistic similarities with Fairfax County Schools.
Poe has been known to push social boundaries with performances such as Spring Awakening, which considered drugs, pregnancy, and suicide throughout its storyline. In 2014, Poe premiered the show without the help of McLean High and instead used her own nonprofit, Little Butterfly Theater Company, which will be producing American Idiot.
The piece reflects upon Michael Mayer’s Broadway rendition which created three characters from Green Day’s lyrics and themes. Three young men, Johnny, Tunny, and Will, flee their suburban lives for the excitement of the city. However, as their lives evolve in the new setting, their paths diverge and new characters are brought in to represent themes such as love and drugs.
This will be Poe’s final performance before she departs for Dallas, where she will continue the nonprofit in the Arts District. It will run from July 23 – 26 at 1st Stage in Tyson’s Corner. Shows will run at 8 p.m. all four nights, with two noon showings on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at littlebutterflytheatercompany.com.
