AustLit

'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