Overview

This new play from the author of Hannah and Hanna concerns a family of four. The mother, Suzy, works extremely long hours and is at home very little and so Nick, the father, has taken on her role during the children's teenage years. One Sunday, Nick overhears Jack, his teenage son, telling a girl on the phone that he thinks he has contracted a sexually transmitted infection from her at a party a fortnight ago. This leads to a chain of connected conflicts for the whole family because no-one has the emotional language to calmly face the consequences of such a common event. So intense are the feelings generated, the family threatens to disintegrate but each member has the urge to keep the family together and what they cannot articulate, they say through dance. Contained in the collection, Company of Angels.

Company of Angels: Four Plays by John Retallack.  In "Hannah and Hanna" having escaped from Kosovo, Hanna, 16 meets Hannah, 16, from Margate. An unlikely friendship develops when they find that music is a common bond between them despite their different cultures and circumstances. "Virgins" explores issues of sexuality for young people: How do you explore your sexuality when you are still living at home with your parents? How do your parents sustain their love life with you in the house? And why do we find it so difficult to talk about? "Risk" asks how young people can discover their limits, how can they find out who they are? It asks why young people are drawn to danger; why they risk their freedom, their bodies, their minds and their futures, through dangerous activities and crime. "Club Asylum" is a devised dance theatre piece about teenage asylum seekers in Glasgow based on research with both young asylum seekers and residents. This is a thrilling fusion of dance, theatre and music.