PUNK ROCK IS MAKING A COMEBACK AT PLYMOUTH’S THEATRE ROYAL
Punk Rock
Teenage rebellion is making a comeback at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 26th October to 30th October, 2010.
Punk Rock tells the tale of group of teenagers at the prepare themselves for the end of term and the end of the school lives. As they consider what comes next they find that life on the outside may be a far scarier prospect than they had ever considered.
247 spoke to Rupert Simonian who plays the leading character of William Carlisle and he explained why he felt the play was relevant for a youthful audience:
One of the most interesting things to notice about the play is that it has no adults in it at all. It’s set in a gothic style library of a sixth form college and, within these walls, the young cast come to ask themselves all sorts of questions about love, bullying, identity and sexuality. All the big things that really matter when you’re a teenager.
So this is a play that a younger audience will be able to relate to – even if their six form days are a few years behind them?
Oh yes, it’s set at a really important time most young people’s lives and I’m sure your readership will have very vivid memories of how it felt for them. The mock exams are basically consuming their lives and the pressure is really making them question who they are and where they are going.
Adults tend to forget just how hard this time in your life can be for those going through it . . .
Exactly, this is a time when everything is changing and it occurs during an incredibly stressful time; preparing for examinations that are going to define your future. You are just coming to fully understand who you are and you’re being asked to prove yourself in terms of exam results. In many ways it’s the toughest time of your life and the play really looks at the notion of if we’re putting too much pressure on the young. The ages of 14 to 19 are fraught with anxiety and we just add to the pressure.
So that’s the major theme of the play?
Yes but taken a bit further so we can look at identity, mental health and how kids relate to their parents while going through this process. The kids have to sum up all their experiences and all that they are going through in terms of a UCAS personal statement . . . that’s a nearly impossible feat, and with surveys suggesting that 20% of young people suffer from some kind of mental health issue, it’s not hard to see why they struggle to relate to their parents and other authority figures.
Has the play struck a chord with young audiences then? The Art’s Council’s “A Night Less Ordinary” project seems to be drawing in more under 25 theatre goers. Is this a play that they can relate too?
It does seem so . . . we’ve been taking part in a number of post show talks (one is planned on Wednesday 27th in Plymouth) and we’ve been getting a real range of responses from the younger members of the audience. People have found it quite sad and been quite moved by what they’ve witnessed and how it applies to them. The characters each take on a recognisable stereotype which we can relate to – such as nerd or sports guy – but then they are layered so cleverly by the writing that they manage to reach out to different sections of the audience.
And the Punk Rock of the title? . . . Because the play is set in present times is it not?
Aha, that’s very true! I don’t want to spoil any of the plot but think about what the Punk movement was all about. Standing up, shouting out and telling the world to look at me . . . even if you weren’t quite sure what you were saying. “Listen to me I’m talking” – that’s what these young characters are saying to their audience and I’m sure they’ll enjoy hearing what they have to say.
Punk Rock is running at the Drum Theatre until Saturday 30 October.
Words: Alan Butler
