Plays for Young People: Citizenship / Scenes from Family Life / Totally Over You

by Mark Ravenhill

A collection of three plays for young actors written by Mark Ravenhill—Citizenship, Scenes from  Family Life, and Totally Over You—each with an introduction by the author. Originally commissioned as part of the National Theatre’s Connections program, these three plays were specifically written for teenagers and are ideal for young performers aged thirteen to twenty-five years old.

Written with greater warmth and humanity than you might expect from the author of notably controversial works, Ravenhill’s plays for teenagers are compassionate, intelligent, and not at all patronizing.

With themes of particular interest to teenagers—self-perception, relationships, sexual identity, and obsession with fame—the plays explore the search for identity during the transition to adulthood.

Citizenship, a bittersweet comedy about growing up, follows schoolboy Tom in his frank and messy search to discover his sexual identity: he dreams of being kissed, but is unsure whether it is by a man or woman.

Scenes from Family Life is set in a world where everyone starts to dematerialize. After six months, Jack and Stacy are the only boy and girl on the planet. For Jack it’s a dream, for Stacy a nightmare. And when the vanished start to return, Jack has to learn how complex adult relationships are.

Totally Over You is an exploration of celebrity-obsession in which four girls break up with their boyfriends when they decide they only want to see celebrities. The boys decide to trick the girls into thinking that they are on the brink of fame and fortune as a boy band. The girls decide to win the boys back, but what will happen when they discover the truth?

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2010

About the author

Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist.

His plays include Shopping and Fucking (first performed in 1996), Some Explicit Polaroids (1999) and Mother Clap's Molly House (2001). He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He often writes for the arts section of The Guardian. He is Associate Director of London's Little Opera House at The King's Head Theatre.

Reviews

[Ceilidh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good ideas, underwhelming execution. Felt a little ham-fisted.