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My Sister Violet.
Violet Flanagan is twelve, and she lives with her mum and younger
brother Louis, having recently moved from the city to the country.
Things are going okay in her world until she finds out what
she'd already guessed at: Louis is one of the most annoying
people in the world, and he's just been diagnosed with Attention
Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
This is the background to Sean Riley's 'My Sister Violet', a new play being performed by Urban Myth Theatre Of Youth.
"We have to be very careful of becoming too 'preachy' to people, because as a youth theatre you're always treading that fine line..." explains Glenn Hayden, Artistic Director with UMTOY. "We have to look at and discuss issues of and for youth and young people, but so much of this has been done before and we can't force it down anyone's throat, anyway."
I concur: I've seen enough youth oriented theatre in my time to know the easy cop out is to come up with some performance which professes tolerance and understanding of the big three in youth theatre circles. In case you're wondering, they are youth suicide, teenage pregnancy, and youth drug abuse. Get them covered and you get your grant money, it seems.
Hayden seems to want to strike out in different directions with Urban Myth, and without losing sight of the company's raison d'etre. They are a community based theatre group, and that means inclusion, they do service their local area, and that means UMTOY have more volunteers and would-be performers than they know what to do with, sometimes, and they are in their 25th year, and that in itself argues the company fills a vital role in the scheme of things.
"We work with a lot of the schools around here, and we certainly don't see ourselves as being part of the education system. We take up where the drama departments leave off. And we know to keep things interesting we need to retain the element of humour, and of having a good time, for everyone involved in the company."
He muses on the openings a group such as his provides. "We know not everyone is going to want to be an actor, or director, or whatever. But if we can show them a side of the business and help them find the level of their interest and challenge their abilities then I'm gloriously happy with that."
'My Sister Violet' is based in a small country town somewhere in Australia the location is one of those "could be anywhere" situations.
"It's based on a script by Sean Riley and it's really funny, but what appealed to me most was how true the characters were in their dealings with each other. Violet is so attached to her brother and he really makes life almost impossibly difficult for her and her family, but at the same time he's loveable and funny.
"When you put this all in context - them living in a small town - it becomes a great play where it seems the whole town is involved in the action, and swept up in their story."
He pauses for reflection. "Ultimately, this is a play about having a good time with your life, about making the best of things despite problems. And it's about Louis and Violet and their mum learning to deal with their situation. It's been so much fun working on it."
Alex Wheaton
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'My Sister Violet' opens on Wed 26 Oct at The Space.
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