PUNK ROCK

by SIMON STEPHENS

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 defies expectation and unpacks puberty with an 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.

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

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

MELINDA KEYTE, ArtsHub

"In her high-velocity and astonishingly assured production, director Ruby Rees casts shrewdly against type, confounding our expectations and increasing our horror when playful extroversion becomes violent bullying. For a newish indie company to take on the challenge is admirable. To pull it off is close to miraculous."

CHRIS BOYD, The Australian

"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