PUNK ROCK

by SIMON STEPHENS

at fortyfivedownstairs from the 4th - 15th of December, 2019

"Some people. They’re funny. I like them. They tolerate other people. There are people who tolerate other people..."

Intelligent. Articulate. F***ed. Tucked away in a grammar school library, the dreaded exam period looming, seven students on the cusp of adulthood humiliate and lustfully toy with each other, their latent fury skirting dangerously close to the surface.

From British power-house playwright, Simon Stephens, Punk Rock is a violent and urgent examination of contemporary adolescence. Stephens unpacks teen-hood with unparalleled authenticity. Punk Rock grounds itself in an unsettling honesty and exposes the extreme behaviour displayed on the stage as only a degree removed from what we consider normal in our everyday.

Punk Rock was first presented at the Lyric Hammersmith, on September 3rd 2009, in a co-production between the Lyric Hammersmith and the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

★★★★1/2 "This a masterful re-working of an important commentary on the social failures that have led us to this point in time, from a talented, vibrant, and visionary company. Unmissable."

MELINDA KEYTE, ArtsHub

★★★★"Patalog Theatre brings Punk Rock to life with an ensemble performance of disturbing intimacy. The new indie theatre company is quickly making a name for itself and may be the most stylish and enterprising to come out of Melbourne since The Hayloft Project."

CAMERON WOODHEAD, The Age

★★★★ "This outstanding Patalog Theatre production shows what a gift this play can be for a talented young ensemble. It's heartening to see an ambitious young company make such a compelling statement."

ANDREW FUHRMANN, The Herald Sun

"(A) high-velocity and astonishingly assured production...For a newish indie company to take on the challenge is admirable. To pull it off is close to miraculous."

CHRIS BOYD, The Australian