Upfront Theatre: Why Is John Lennon Wearing A Skirt?; Arsehammers; The Year of the Monkey; Hard Working Families (Plays for Young People) - Softcover

Gr 7 Up—This collection of four plays, three of which debuted as stand-up pieces, is an attempt to involve a flexible cast of teen actors in a low-stress form of theatre. With the overriding theme of personal choice vs. societal norms, the pieces use familiar issues—expectations of males vs. females, the challenges caused by Alzheimer's disease, emotional repression, political posturing—presented in contemporary situations to highlight how our lives are often controlled by mores that we don't choose. The concept of creating large-cast plays for actors with minimal stage experience works well for school/community theatres, and the idea of using groups of actors to form composite characters allows for even neophyte participation. However, Dowie's introductory essay, or the scripts themselves, should provide more guidance as to the actual staging parameters (Are lines memorized or performed with script-in-hand?, Is there any movement?, Are scenery and costumes used?, etc.). Additionally, the plays are British in origin, meaning Briticisms and some political figures (Margaret Thatcher, Edward Heath) will likely need to be adapted for an American audience. Finally, while the overall theme of the plays is universal, the one-act "The Year of the Monkey" seems more suited to an adult rather than a teen audience. VERDICT As in-class or end-of-term drama presentations, the plays will do well, hopefully inspiring middle/high school students to try their hand at writing similar pieces with personally relevant themes.—Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, formerly at LaSalle Academy, Providence