AustLit

'Would you risk breaking bail for a packet of Mi Goreng? Or snitch on a mate to save your own skin? Around here, ordinary days can turn on you so fast you’ve still got a smile on your face as your hopes die in your hands.

'Yani wants to go to the Easter Show, Kai wants a sense of home, Shanika wants her Mum back, and Lachlan…well, he just wants his bowl of noodles. But when the justice system is all that stands between these young people and what they want, it raises an important question—how do young people grow when the system keeps cutting them down?

'Yuwaalaraay playwright Hannah Belanszky and Kalkadoon director Abbie-lee Lewis bring their exceptional talent to the stage for Saplings, a collection of hilarious and heartbreaking stories born from workshops with young people in conflict the youth justice system, from Marrickville to Moree.

'Set to a rap and hip-hop soundtrack made by young people in the youth justice system, Saplings gives an honest, raw look into the adult consequences faced by some of our most vulnerable.'

Source: Sydney Festival.

'Parents of Australia! Are you sick of your kids being glued to their phones? Do you wish they could leave their devices behind forever? Well, you just may need to sign them up for Camp Reboot…

'Reboot follows a group of young campers as they journey through Camp Reboot, a special new Summer Camp designed to detox kids from all forms of technology. However, things are not quite as they seem, as the campers discover a secret that could change their lives forever.

'Reboot is a comedic thriller that tests the limits of a life without technology. It is a satire on our attachment to our screens but also a probing look into who really pulls the strings.'  (Production summary)

'‘You sure the abyss is our only option? Isn’t there like … an option to go forward into a nice warm hug? World peace? You know … nice stuff.’—Drag’na Dhuul by Michele Gould

'Surrounded by snacks, players begin a game of Dungeons and Dragons in which identities will be explored and revealed. As Russia invades Ukraine, two siblings start to remember their grandmother and the heritage she felt forced to hide. X-Box controllers in hand, two cousins decide it might be time to kill Grandma—but what about her great samosas?
'Accused by her brother of being too scared to attend their dad’s stag-do, Hen discovers that no one wants to be a chicken. And when the guy in shorts from Year 10 shows he’s not nearly as cool as she thought, will a young woman find the courage to speak up?

'Each year, ATYP brings together 20 playwrights from around Australia to create sharp, surprising, relevant scripts for teenage performers. The Intersection Festival is the creative reimagining of our popular Voices Project and Intersection plays, giving young people the opportunity to perform brand-new short plays written by some of the country’s best new writers.' (Publication summary)

'Claire’s having trouble connecting… IRL that is. Enter SAAM: A Social Ally Android Machine – her ‘shortcut to friendship.’ Configured based on her digital behaviour and social media profiles, SAAM’s an expert at connection – which is great, because Claire’s birthday is next week and the RSVPs are sitting at a grand total of zero. Not great. With SAAM’s help, Claire’s circles are growing. The foodies, the handballers, even the SRC kids start to invite her to things. Nothing stands in her way, except of course her crippling social anxiety.'(Production summary)

'Harry and Miles live with their father, an abalone diver, on the wild and beautiful south coast of Tasmania. With their father largely absent, they look after each other as best they can. Over a school holiday while Miles works on the boat, Harry begins an unlikely friendship that will upset the delicate balance holding this unpredictable world together.' (Production summary)

'High school outcast and whimsical mega-dork Taylah longs to be the princess in her own fairy tale. Which isn’t easy in Dunburn – a drought-stricken Aussie town struggling for survival, where cool girls and footy hunks lead the pack. But when her hyper-woke, inner-city cousin Maeve comes to stay, the pair join forces on a quest to make their mark on the best night of the year: the town’s annual Debutante Ball. In their search for social redemption and the spotlight, chaos ensues – along with a whole lot of fake tan, lace, and diamante tiaras for ya up-do.

'Conceived and co-directed by the hilarious Hannah Reilly (Winner of the 2019 Rebel Wilson Comedy Commission) with original music by multi-ARIA Award-winning Megan Washington, The Deb is a heart-warming and uproarious coming-of-age story about friendship, courage, and the beauty of coming out as yourself.

'Don’t miss the debut of what will no doubt join Muriel’s Wedding and FANGIRLS in the ranks of beloved Australian stage musicals.'

Source: ATYP.

'At Cluck Cluck Chicken, two friends take revenge on their horrible boss. In the library, the School Council president makes a tactical move on her crush. When a TV drama comes to film in a small town, toxic purple weeds take a starring role. Five students must travel far and wide through mythical lands to search for their Indonesian teacher after he suddenly leaves the school. And can a giant artwork change the school’s policy on ‘gender appropriate attire’ at the formal?

'Each year, ATYP brings together 20 playwrights from around Australia, empowering them to create plays that connect with young performers and audiences. The Intersection Festival is the creative reimagining of our popular Voices Project and Intersection plays, giving young people the opportunity to perform brand-new short plays written by some of the country’s best new writers.'  (Publication summary)

'Follow Me Home is an insightful theatre production by award-winning playwright Lewis Treston.

'Presented as a series of vignettes, the play reveals the real stories of a group of extraordinarily strong, resilient and courageous young people.

'Inspired by the lived experiences shared by homeless young people across NSW, this thought-provoking work from Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) is a must-see for audiences aged 14 and over. Four talented young actors take on multiple roles in a fast-paced show that will leave audiences with a shift in perspective, a little more compassion and a deeper understanding of the world around them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Antarctica. A blizzard. Eight schoolkids are stranded in a shack, on the bottom of the world, with a sinister force circling outside…

'Our young explorers, in the ghostly footsteps of Ernest Shackleton, question their place in the natural and social order of the world as the limits of their courage are pushed into uncharted waters. Safety (and sanity) seems to be drifting farther and farther away.

'The younger generation is being called on to lead like never before. The power of nature and the nature of power are explored in this adventure story for the Greta Thunberg generation. A hypothermic flurry of comedy and thriller, Shack explores the territory between teen anxiety and teen invincibility. How do our young people learn to step up and lead, when sometimes just existing is hard enough?!

'So zip up your warmest parka and be ready for anything…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Offbeat. Upbeat. Move to your own beat.

'These are stories that explore the pulsating experience of young lives.

'Intersection 2020: Beat is a taste-test of Australia’s brightest new playwrights illuminating fragments of lives dancing on the edge of adulthood. This collection of short plays will surprise, intrigue, provoke and move. The characters range in age from 15-22 and the production showcases some of the finest young performers.'

Source: ATYP.

'In this moment millions of interactions are taking place.  We are chatting, texting, debating, liking, sharing, creating and selling more of ourselves than ever before. Never before in human history have we been able to overcome distance and remain so close.

'The 1s, the 0s, and Everything in Between invites you into a vortex of digital construction and communication. Written by award-winning WA playwright Chris Isaacs, this new play explores how the rapidly changing ways of our world intensifies our human need for connection.'

Source: ATYP.

'One quiet night, the street lights flicker out and plunge the world into darkness. A ‘lights out’ party in Royal Park is announced, and every kid in town makes their way there to celebrate this strange occurrence.

'A trio of role-players leave their game and embark on a quest for revenge… two enterprising youngsters sell torches at reasonable prices… the disgraced star of a viral video looks to make her social comeback… the floor-mopper at the local chemist encounters the worst kind of shoplifter. All these stories unfold on the way to the park because everybody’s on their way to the same party. And it is not to be missed.'

Source: ATYP.

'The year is 2079. Artificial Intelligence and humans coexist harmoniously. That is, until the appearance of an exceptionally clever AI named Neutron Finch. On the first day of kindergarten, Neutron reads the entire literary works from the history of humanity. This grabs the attention of other AIs at the school, and they start withdrawing from their human buddies.

'One night, a group of sixth graders is summoned to the oval. The AIs now know about and want souls. It’s then up to the ‘secret six’ to solve the greatest existential question of all time within a week. Will their soul-searching provide the answers they need to stop the AIs becoming humanity’s worst nightmare?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'EZ and his gang of bullies have created a fake social media account to inflict torment and misery on their fellow students. The account’s name, “April Aardvark”, echoes through the halls with fear and confusion. The gang is smugly satisfied with the results, until the day a student shows up to class claiming to be April Aardvark. She is the living, breathing manifestation of the account – a mean, obscene insult machine. She spreads chaos through the school, turning student against student and bully against bully. But is she really who she claims to be? And if so, how can she be stopped?

'Only one thing is certain – she is the greatest bully that ever lived.' (Production summary)

'Meet Edna: She’s 14, chronically awkward, and everyone thinks she’s a serial liar. But none of this will matter when her REAL life starts. With Harry. There’s just one problem, Harry is in True Connection - the world’s biggest boyband.

'When True Connection announce a tour stop in Edna’s city, she realises that this is her one chance to meet Harry and convince him of their destiny. But just how far is she prepared to go in the name of love? Edna takes her obsession to unforeseen heights in this thrilling and hilarious musical comedy about first love, fan culture, and the danger of underestimating teenage girls.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Locked in their bedroom, two brothers play games to pass the time, as siblings do. Off-stage, their parents are having a very famous showdown. At an inevitable moment, the children will be drawn away from their games and into their parents' bitter argument. From there, they will enter mythology as the most tragic siblings of all time.'

Source: Black Swan Theatre Company.

'On 29 July 2009, a 14-year-old girl was given an on-air lie detector test on a live Sydney radio program. Clearly agitated, the girl announced that she had been raped when she was 12. This infamous incident has been used to examine changes in the way young people engage with sex and sexuality. The rapid advances in communications technology, the proliferation of pornography and the depiction of sexuality as power are changing young people's attitudes to sex. How do young people negotiate these conflicting messages?

'In a social media-saturated performance space, The Tender Age examines the contradictions in the way society educates young people about sexuality, and the ways in which young people themselves negotiate relationships framed by social technologies. Devised and performed by a mixed ensemble of artists from version 1.0 and the Australian Theatre for Young People, The Tender Age is eye-opening, gut-wrenching, and utterly compelling theatre.'

Source: Carriageworks website, http://www.carriageworks.com.au/
Sighted: 14/08/2012