The first of two dramas that has been considered for choice in upcoming International Theatre for Young People’s Festival shortly to be held in Vancouver. Canada is “Blackrock” by the late Nick Enright. The dramas must stand for the values. attitudes and beliefs of today’s Australian Youth Culture. “Blackrock” explores the strength of mateship. the importance of image and the dangers of equal force per unit area. parties and minor imbibing. The 2nd drama is the popular “Blurred” by the dramatist Stephen Davis ; which offers a comedic and cagey representation of possibly the most celebrated Australian young person orientated rite of transition. “Schoolies” . Both of these dramas portray representations of the highest quality of Australian young person civilization.
Both ab initio play to Australian stereotypes and colloquialism but as interrelatednesss develop audiences are invited to derive penetration into the youth civilization and the society which they represent. The thematic relevancy. human context. dramatic signifier and linguistic communication of the dramas contents relates straight to the Festivals principle and are alone to Australia. The principle of the Festival is in topographic point to let immature people to research their ain thoughts and experiences within the universe that they live and give the chance to research and dramatise larger issues of justness and unfairness which they as young person may frequently experience powerless to act upon. and to let young person to spread out their skylines – to travel beyond their won experience of the universe and to populate different character and different societies.
“Blackrock” is a drama based in a coastal town and is based on events anterior to and instantly following the violent slaying of the character. Tracy Warner. This happening pushes relationships to their bounds and raises issues of unfairness. The subject of “Blackrock” offers insight into the Australian ‘Surfie’ civilization whereby all characters are in somehow affiliated with surfboarding or the beach. Teenage rebellion against social norms and conformance is besides evident. It can be seen in the drama that as a consequence of these rebellious actions. the careless Acts of the Apostless undertaken whilst under the influence of intoxicant can hold annihilating effects. Blackrock besides raises the issue of to what extent do you endorse up your mate? How strong is the construct of mateship? Besides the importance of image. image is something single young person pride themselves on. to hold an image that entails popularity and to be comparatively good liked is a high precedence for many adolescents around the Earth.
The types of characters involved in “Blackrock” unluckily don’t give a true representation of all Australian young person ; as they lack aspiration and ends and demo small to no regard to their seniors. parents or the governments. The male young persons besides seem slightly apathetic in relation to life and life in relation to the slaying of Tracey Warner. However Blackrock does offer a true representation of mateship and how one would move under huge force per unit area. The universe believes. due to the fact that the media have depicted. that Australia’s regardless of age portion the trait of grace under force per unit area. Enright sheds new visible radiation on this stereotypically Australian trait through dramatic signifier. linguistic communication and human context maintaining in the subject of pragmatism.
The relationship between Jared and Ricko explores in great deepness the subject of mateship. In making so the interrelatedness formed invites international audiences to see what this facet of Australian Youth Culture is inherit of. As the drama develops. audiences become cognizant of the fact that it was so Ricko that in a tantrum of fury murdered Tracey Warner. so turns to his best mate for aid. Ricko asks what many may see as unfair. for Jared to lie to the governments. Unbeknownst to Ricko. Jared witnessed the slaying in all its bloody veracity. Jared is so faced with the moral quandary of lodging by his mate. and professing to audiences that mateship is a powerful force apparent in Australian Youth Culture. or turn to the governments and make non merely himself justness but besides the murdered Tracy Warner.
“…You get over at that place now. You tell them what we said…You were with your mate…Day I met you. down the half-pipe. blood running out of here [ forehead ] ; I piled you into spiders van…Get in the new wave I said. Now you get in the new wave. Your bend to look after me. ” ( P56 – 7 )
This illustrates non merely what type of character Ricko is but besides the manner in which he interacts with other characters in Blackrock. He uses disgusting linguistic communication such as:
“You are. adult male. you fucken are” ( p57 )
The linguistic communication used in Blackrock depicts the Surfie sub-culture that resides within Australian Youth Culture. A premier illustration of how Enright has utilized linguistic communication to appeal to the targeted group. teens. was one of Toby’s initial lines. Toby is a close friend of Jared and besides sister of Jared’s girlfriend Rachel:
“I’ll put on a keg-show down the breaker club” ( P3 )
Enright besides exploits Australian colloquialisms to repeat the subject of adolescent rebellion. something generic of the western universe. Unfortunately inherit of adolescent rebellion is anti-social behaviors so articulately put by Dave:
“Bet ya ten vaulting horses you can’t take out that street light” ( P27 )
Besides it is evident that the teenage characters in this drama. are overly disrespectful of their parents:
Diane ( female parent ) – “Where are you traveling? ”
Jared ( boy ) – “Shut up! Shut the degree Fahrenheit @ # $ up! ” ( P29 )
Enright besides to link with audiences utilizations colloquialism and refers to things that aren’t widely evident internationally. merely adding to the echt underpinning of the drama:
“It’s non a freaking blue visible radiation disco” ( P18 )
The stereotype that Australian’s are heavy drinkers is played to in Blackrock in relation to the assorted intoxicated conversations that take topographic point throughout the drama:
Scott says – “I’m so ripped”
Daveo says – “Only one thing to make. Get rippeder. ” ( P25 )
Though a few footings are somewhat dated by today’s criterions. ” pashing-off” for illustration. the underlining consequence is well-developed and it adds to the interrelatednesss and therefore the human context. therefore enabling immature people to research their ain thoughts and experiences in the universe they live.
“Blurred” is the 3rd and concluding portion of a rites of transition trilogy by Stephen Davis. It pays court to the legendary journey made yearly by class 12 graduates to south east Queensland for schoolies. The drama comprises of post card promisees. breaker. one dark stands. release and credence. non to advert inordinate imbibing. wild times and the inclination toward the irresponsible in the Utopian dreamscape known as the Gold Coast. in peculiar Surfers Paradise. Davis offers an audacious representation of the human context through entwining interrelatednesss. dramatic signifier and linguistic communication which culminates to organize an accurate word picture of Australian young person. “Blurred” is much more than a theatricalised retelling of a trip down the route for a “piss-up” . it clearly demonstrates Australian young person civilization at a alone and euphoric minute in their lives and runs deeper than stereotyped colloquialisms inherit of other Australian theater and would turn out to be a typical characteristic for public presentation at the International Festival.
The subject around which “Blurred” is centred is the construct of a right of transition. Schoolies has become an built-in portion of the ocean trip from pupil to adulthood as the character Lynette metaphorically states in the drama:
“The whole weekend is important…it’s our motion from the dorsum of the coach to the forepart of the coach. ” ( P48 )
It is a unworried hebdomad before one must inquire themselves the inevitable inquiry as Stephen Davis so articulately put:
“What the snake pit do I make now? ” ( P40 )
The other subject that is portrayed within this piece of theater is a construct strongly affiliated with Australian civilization. mateship. It is apparent in about all interrelatednesss and is a significant subject that must be represented at the International Festival. Larrikinism is besides evident in “Blurred” . in some relationships more so than that of others. in relation to underage imbibing which frequently leads to irresponsible behavior which is inherit of a deficiency of consideration for the reverberations of these actions.
Stephen Davis created the characters Calvin and Hobbs to stand for stereotyped Aussie combatants ; they aid in supplying amusing alleviation through their linguistic communication picks and embody the traits of mateship. larrikinism and irresponsible behavior which unluckily leads to the ill-timed decease of Calvin. Ironically both the characters names and persona’s mimic those of two sketch characters by the names of Calvin and Hobbes. a little male child and fanciful friend whom invariably embark on exciting and humourous escapades. An illustration of Calvin usage of Australian colloquialism is:
“Oh no…I forgot the doms…” ( P66 )
By Calvin and Hobbs utilizing Australian colloquialisms they add to the amusing value of the drama and besides portray the kernel of larrikinism which resides. in some more so than others. all Australians:
“I’m about making my bloomerss here with excitement” ( P66 )
This leads onto how their larrikinism can be taken to far. and they move from being larrikins holding a good clip harming no 1 to partaking in anti-social and irresponsible behavior which is detriment to themselves and the community:
“Well you want me to travel faster…Yeah? Truly? …This auto will crush anything on the freeway…one 30 five…one 30 six…feel it agitate? …One fifty…HELL YEAHHH! ” ( P66-7 )
Unfortunately the escapade of Calvin and Hobbs was shortly to stop when Calvin suggested they jump on the roof of a train:
“You want to hold fun? …Lets get on top of the train…We breaker it. Come on it’s one of the things you wanted to do…You wanted to surf…hang 10. brother! ” ( P96 )
Calvin takes the spring of religion and unhappily is killed in the procedure. this stand foring how foolish and irresponsible Acts of the Apostless can hold desperate effects. On a lighter note. Calvin and Hobbs clearly embody mateship and this is shown throughout the scenes in which they are in:
“I want to hit you…we’re merely forcing each other…Don’t you reckon that’s interesting? …We buzzword hit each other…’Cause we’ve been couples since primary school…I’m sorry man”
This quotation mark portrays how couples stick together and back up one another. this is without doubt one of the most positive properties of Australian Youth Culture and it is imperative that this is shown in the Festival.
When comparing “Blurred” to “Blackrock” one must take into history that “Blurred” is a amusing and slightly un-realistic narrative. As opposed to a really realistic and less dramatised event that frequently occurs within Australian Society around which “Blackrock” is set. Both dramas are expected to give accurate representations of Australian Youth Culture. though in world they offer accurate representations of Australian Youth Culture in two really different visible radiations and non merely in general. Both play to stereotyped Australian colloquialism in an effort to appeal to the targeted age group of adolescents.
Blackrock is a superior drama in relation to the intent it would function at the Festival due to it’s in depth human context attained by complex characters and their built-in interrelatednesss. As opposed to “Blurred” which is a series of amusing narratives that are based around a remarkable event in which no more than three characters are of all time profoundly involved with each other. Due to this fact it can be said that the convenient intertwining of narratives and about inadvertent relationships do offer penetration into Australian Youth Culture but in most cases it merely scratches the surface.
In coaction with the honored Judgess of the International Theatre for Young People’s Festival it has been concluded that though the drama “Blackrock” does non offer a unflawed representation of Australian young person in that ; the characters lack aspiration and ends. demo small to no regard to their seniors. parents or the governments. It does portray a more realistic and less stereotyped representation of Australian Youth. Therefore “Blackrock” by Nick Enright will look the Festival with “Blurred” by Stephen Davis closely backing it. Having scenes from “Blurred” in the Festival will show that amongst the defects of Australian Youth Culture there are many positives. such as mateship. larrikinism and the will to hold a good clip. For these are for the most portion predominant in Australian Youth Culture and this must besides be represented clearly and briefly.
