Zugzwang
Neil Flynn
Age range
16 +
Cast size
15 +
Approx. running time
60 – 90 mins
Gender breakdown
Male: 7
Female: 13
Also: Potential for smaller ensemble of 14-20.
Female: 13
Also: Potential for smaller ensemble of 14-20.
Setting
An elite boarding school, sometime in the near future.
Note
A full-length, dystopian drama, for a large cast.
First performance
Free Radicals Youth Theatre, at Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, December 2018. Written and directed by Neil Flynn.
Synopsis
As a group of students prepare to graduate from an elite boarding school, they spend their last night pondering their future as they prepare to enter the ‘big bad world.’
What begins, as a sober last night reminiscence becomes a wilder, unguarded affair culminating in a ‘love festival’.
When a video of the ‘love festival’ goes viral, repercussions ensue in the form of an unprecedented national response by the government. In the interests of reaffirming the morals of young people, a ‘Love Edict’ is issued. Under this, the youth of the nation will have one night and one night only to pair off, to find someone to love. If they do not succeed, if they remain single, life-changing consequences await.
As the fateful night unfolds, some discover the path of love never runs smooth. Just because you love someone with all your heart doesn’t mean they’ll love you back. A choice will have to be made. Zugzwang!
Zugzwang offers an exciting challenge for an experienced director and a mature youth theatre group.
What begins, as a sober last night reminiscence becomes a wilder, unguarded affair culminating in a ‘love festival’.
When a video of the ‘love festival’ goes viral, repercussions ensue in the form of an unprecedented national response by the government. In the interests of reaffirming the morals of young people, a ‘Love Edict’ is issued. Under this, the youth of the nation will have one night and one night only to pair off, to find someone to love. If they do not succeed, if they remain single, life-changing consequences await.
As the fateful night unfolds, some discover the path of love never runs smooth. Just because you love someone with all your heart doesn’t mean they’ll love you back. A choice will have to be made. Zugzwang!
Zugzwang offers an exciting challenge for an experienced director and a mature youth theatre group.