Nineteen

Nineteen is the second in a trilogy based on several years of research and investigation into young Australian male identity. This work is the culmination of an intensive development period with dramatic publisher Playlab, through their dramaturgical support programs. Nineteen builds on previous works (Yesterday's Hero, The Boys of St Crispian) where concepts of masculinity are transformed through the evolutionary 'magic' of Theatre of Tensions - a method of theatre making invented by Brazilian dance-theatre company Taanteatro. At the time of writing, the third and final instalment in the trilogy, Egbert, is in-progress, testing questions and experimenting with ideas stemming from the two previous iterations through Theatre of Tensions.The theme of identity formation, however, is the undeniable thread binding these works together. Born from concern of the dangerous behaviours often exhibited by young men as they attempt to replicate images of themselves drawn in the eyes of others; these works strive to articulate and highlight some of the issues faced by young males in attempting to define themselves in a world that often seems to bash against their desires and needs, ultimately shaping them into images of something they are not and were never meant to be.