Plays

On 10th December (International Human Rights Day) 2003, 10 writers met with 10 groups of transition year students to listen to their human rights concerns with a view to expressing these in a short play. The result is as dynamic body of plays written for young people and based on young people’s concerns. These concerns include racism in Irish schools, perceptions of and discrimination towards asylum seekers and refugees, Travellers’ rights and young people’s feelings of powerlessness. The plays are ideal for reading or performing in the classroom and as a basis for exploring human rights topics. The plays, together with supporting drama and activity workshops and action plans, are published in Voice Our Concern: A Human Rights Education Module for Transition Year.

First Day, Last Chance by Maeve Binchy

4 individual character roles; 3 group roles; mixed
A new teacher and group of transition year students come to an understanding of each other’s dreams and disappointments and find an unusual way to help each other…

Maeve Binchy and students from Fingal Community College

The Chocolate Colin Farrells by Roddy Doyle

8 individual character roles; girls
A transition year mini company make fun of their failed attempts at chocolate Santas and money-socks… but beneath the camaraderie, more distasteful racist undertones emerge


Students from St. Vincent's Secondary School, Dundalk, perform The Chocolate Colin Farrells

Knackers by Hugo Hamilton

8 individual character roles; 3 group roles; mixed
A lost mobile phone brings two groups of young people from different backgrounds together to have their assumptions and prejudices challenged


Hugo Hamilton and students from Wesley College, Dublin

Play review by Cliona Ashe from Ard Scoil, Dungarvan

This play is set in a scene familiar to Irish teenagers, it focuses on two different groups with their own stereotypes of each other. When Maurice steals Tara's phone, the play demonstrates how judgements are formed. Tara and her friend Fiona find the mobile has been stolen and they jump to the conclusion that Maurice must be Romanian, a 'Foreign Knacker'. However, when he manages to convince them breifly that his father is Italian, and very rich, their attitude changes from hostile to more welcoming, demonstrating how social standing and money can sway opinion.

The background dialogue in this play, between the different groups demonstrate even further how they view each other, and how by jumping to conclusions and judgements, they fail in understanding each other: 'They can't listen so they keep talking.' One discussion about pain thresholds among different social groups shows that groups think of each other almost as different beings, not just different gangs. The fact that much of the dialogue in this play will seem familiar and totally realistic to teenagers makes it very thought provoking.

In the end of this play, we see how Tara and Maurice must confront the prejudices of their own friends if they are going to be happy. It shows how they stand by their convictions in order to be who they want, and to try to show their friends why they are wrong to judge others. 

A Night at the Disco by Dermot Healy

14 individual character roles; 2 group roles; mixed (mainly girls)
Bullying, tribalism and prejudice amongst teenagers come to the fore in a night out for students from Ballina

First Person in Newpark by Conor McPherson

8 monologues; mixed
Monologues based on interviews with teachers, principal and students at Newpark Comprehensive, Blackrock, describing their day-to-day life, dreams, insecurities and memories

Nua-Bhlascaod le Paul Mercier

Is feidir tionchar an úrscéal Lord of the Flies a aithint sa dhráma seo. Bunaithe ar thaithi dáltai ága i nGael Choláiste ó thaobh a gcearta teanga agus cultúrtha a chleachtadh i dtimpeallacht nach bhfuil báúil don teanga Gaeilge, faighimid amach sa dhráma cad is féidir titim amach nuair a fhágtar grúpa de dhéagóiri i bhfeighil ar oileán iargúlta, tréigthe. Is é an casadh cliste a fhionn Mercier isteach ná go bhfuil an tromlach acu ina gcáinteóiri Gaeilge agus go bhfuil béarla amháin ag an mionlach

Right Said Bob by Barry Murphy

4 individual character roles; 1 group role; mixed
A well-meaning musician tries to instil enthusiasm in a group of transition year students resistant to his plans to have them write a song about human rights…

Incident at Dojran by Peter Sheridan

3 individual character roles; mixed
A young Irish student witnesses and becomes caught up in a shocking incident at the border crossing in Macedonia

Peter Sheridan at Colaiste Choilm, Swords

Your Man by Gerard Stembridge

8 character roles; boys
In Limerick, Tony is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. In searching for the only witness, a Congolese boy living in a nearby hostel, Tony and his friends confront their prejudice towards refugees