Sally Butts for President
Mercilessly teased thanks to an awkward last name, Sally Butts plots revenge on her chief tormentors, the popular Jack and Mikayla Slade. Sally and her friends – who have unfortunate last names themselves – launch Sally’s campaign for school president against Jack. To beat him, they’ll have to overcome dirty tricks, cruel graffiti, bad puns, parents who quote poetry, and an excessive amount of glitter. Can a girl named Butts really become president? Running time: 55 minutes.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
Playwright Jim Adolf talks about his play
“Sally Butts for President”
What inspired you to write this play?
I was always teased about my last name as a kid, and as I got older I discovered two things – most people have stories about being teased as a kid (for their name, or because their ears were too big, or whatever); and as unpleasant as that might be, living through that experience makes you more compassionate and humble.
What's your favorite part or line in the play? Why?
The parents quoting poetry always makes me chuckle, as well as the scene with Chad – a cool lax bro, who turns out to be a stickler for the rules -- counting the votes.
Where did the characters come from? Are they based on people you know?
There’s a lot of my family – my wife and daughters, and me – in the characters for sure. And the story about the grandfather who rode around with a license plate reading “BUTTS” – that’s a true story about my own grandfather (he had a Cadillac with a license plate that said “ADOLF”).
What did you try to achieve with this play?
I tried to get the message across about the ability of all of us to overcome our perceived shortcomings and being bullied about them. And I tried to do it in a funny, light way.