Punk Rock (Modern Plays)

Product Information

Those are the massive upsides in a thoughtful drama that takes on big issues. However, they come at a cost, as a couple of the characters are too clearly created to make political points while a pivotal scene that sets up the final drama stretched credibility way too far.

The scenes of seduction and rejection are both witty and heartbreaking, while the boastfulness of these future masters and mistresses of the universe irritates but rings true. Stephens paints a vivid, diverse portrait of friends who you can't actually call friends. This group is inherently recognizable: friends who seem to have bonded because they're the only ones who can get through it together, no matter how mean they are to one another (and they're really, really mean). A threat of violence hangs in the air from the moment Japhy Weideman's moody lights rise on Mark Wendland's airy, rundown schoolroom set. The MacGuffin-filled text and production becomes a game of "who's going to snap first?" An astonishingly brutal climax (not for the faint of heart) is more of a "duh" moment than a surprise, but it still shakes you to the core, and you won't feel right for quite some time after. Beautiful City Theatre put on a production of this play in Montreal at The Centaur from 5–14 May 2016, directed by Calli Armstrong. They are a typical bunch. We first meet ordinary, shy William and the more worldly new girl Lily, played by the evening's best actors Tom Sturridge and Jessica Raine in a tyro cast with virtually no previous stage experience. They form part of a gang that comprises three boys, three girls and a mildly autistic, effectively genderless genius.From 14 to 16 March March 2012, a production of the play was performed at the Doncaster Little Theatre in Doncaster. [7] Speaking of the characters, these are good too. It is clear how they all fit into the little group even though some characters have a much bigger role in the story than others. The interaction between them is great though, funny at times, angering and just plain tense at others.

Director Trip Cullman guides his cast to performances that are as intense as all get-out. Particular standouts include the spellbinding Robbins, who effectively silences the bullies through a frightening monologue about the apocalypse; Pullen, who's just plain scary as a guy literally exploding with anger; and the alarmingly calm Smith, a kid who has visions of his classmates as robots and animals as pulsating music by Sonic Youth and The White Stripes play in his head. They all impress; even the irredeemably awful characters reveal shreds of humanity, and the actors embodying them find appealing balances between the cruelty and compassion. I directed his play Port at the Exchange, and I think it's one of the best things I've ever done. His writing is so detailed, so psychologically rich, so daring in terms of his emotion. He's not very English in that way." Marianne Elliot, directorThe New Wolsey Young Company performed the play from 3 to 7 December 2013. Tom Chamberlain played William Carlisle and Gemma Raw played Lilly Cahill. Methuen Drama Student Editions are expertly annotated texts of a wide range of plays from the modern and classic repertoires. By the end, which perhaps has more in common with Hamlet and could be seen as the ultimate advert for single sex education, we begin to understand the thought concerns and obsessions of seventeen-year-olds today.

Manchester Royal Exchange's Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom works wonders in this co-production with a highly talented but inexperienced cast, several of whom get great monologues. Patalog Theatre Co. [16] premiered the play in Melbourne for the first time professionally at fortyfivedownstairs in December 2019. The play received wide critical acclaim with critics calling it "A masterful re-working. Unmissable.". [17] Another strength is the equal stage time enjoyed by the leads – and the absence of a real protagonist means we can appreciate the ups and downs of every character.The plot doesn't really develop in a conventional sense, but more through the changes of characters and the downward spiral of William is central to the story.Rhys Hayes gives the stand-out performance in portraying William's transformation from a kooky dimwit to an unhinged psycho.KP – Do you prefer to adapt existing stories or produce original drama? What are the challenges of each? After three-quarters of the 105 minutes, we move on to a different level, as pre-exam stress begins to boil over and something a little nastier develops, led by the class bully. The problem is that his behaviour is so far over the top that someone would have stepped in, though by doing so they would have eliminated the explosive final scenes and in doing so removed the purpose of the play. A well-written story is a gripping story, whatever the format – TV, film, radio or theatre. The fundamentals of story structure transfer across genres, and remain essential to hooking and retaining an audience. With its reliance on text, without the framework of camera angles, theatre is often viewed as a valuable training ground for screenwriting, as well as a celebrated medium in its own right. Katherine Press – Hi Simon, and thanks for joining us. What general advice would you give to new writers, both on writing and on getting their work noticed? The Fortune Theatre (Dunedin, New Zealand) produced this play, opening 27 June 2015, directed by Lara Macgregor. [13]