Dungeness - Plays for Young People

Dungeness - Plays for Young People Synopsis

In a remote part of the UK, where nothing ever happens, a group of teenagers share a safe house for LGBT+ young people. While their shared home welcomes difference, it can be tricky for self-appointed group leader Birdie to keep the peace.

The group must decide how they want to commemorate an attack that happened to people like them in a country far away. How do you take to the streets and protest if you're not ready to tell the world who you are? If you're invisible, does your voice still count?

A play about love, commemoration and protest.

Written fifty years on from the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England, this is a unique play for young people about the struggles and joys of being gay.

Published alongside Stonewall Housing, a charity that works to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people live in safer homes, free from fear, where they can celebrate their identity and support each other to achieve their full potential.

• Written for 9 actors plus a choir, this is an excellent play for use in classrooms and with students exploring LGBT+ themes.
• Originally performed as part of National Theatre Connections 2018, the play was brought back for the 2020 festival and continues to be performed by schools and youth groups.
• This new edition features a new Q&A with the author alongside teaching resources and information from Stonewall Housing.

A Preview of Dungeness is available here.

To support further study, you can find an introduction to Dungeness with playwright Chris Thompson, available on the Bloomsbury English and Drama Teacher Resources page, as part of Bloomsbury's Lit in Colour Partnership.

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