"Blurred" And "Black Rock" Australian Play Analysis

Essay by cake69High School, 12th grade July 2006

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The International Young People's Festival explores the passion and emotions youths experience in today's culture, whether it's the surfing community of Australia, the "schoolies" week they plan at the end of high school or even experiencing tragedies, the youth culture is an important part of our society. The plays that are being considered for inclusion in the festival are "Blackrock" (by Nick Enright) which unravels the death of a teenage girl at an underage drinking party and explores how the youths handle the situation. The second play is "Blurred" (by Stephan Davis) which reveals multiple stories of different teenagers preparing for Schoolies week and their consequences to the influence by alcohol. This festival "enables young people understand themselves further, to explore their own ideas and experiences and the world they live, using techniques and language of the theatre." It should also give the opportunity to explore and dramatize larger lessons of justice and injustice which they see in the world around them, and which they often feel the powerless to influence.

Through exploring the two plays by Australian writers about the life of an Australian's formative years and the experiences they face, a decision on the appropriate play that represents the Australian youth culture to other countries at the festival, which will be held Vancouver, Canada, will be made.

"Blackrock" is not light entertainment, or an easy play to read. It deals with an ugly and disturbing subject, but does so in a thoughtful and sensitive way, acknowledging the brutal reality of violence against women as an unfortunate experience in life. The plot of "Blackrock" is about teenage violence that existed within Australia at the time; an example is that the language and actions teens make are very abusive throughout the play when ever they drink alcohol. The play contains...