Seventeen

Matthew Whittet

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781786820914
• eBook ISBN: 9781786820921
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

Jess is Mike's girlfriend. Tom is Mike's best friend, but he's secretly in love with Jess. Emilia is Jess's goody-two-shoes best friend and she's about to get drunk for the first time. Lizzy is Mike's annoying younger sister. And Ronny, well no-one invited Ronny and no one's quite sure why he's there. As dawn approaches, through a fog of cheap beer, dreams are shared, insecurities aired and secrets spilled.

Funny, immature, wise and a little bit sad, Seventeen performed by a cast of septuagenarians, will turn our notions of adulthood and adolescence on their head.

A Lyric Hammersmith production in association with Belvoir, Sydney.

A park. Dusk.

RONNY is sitting in front of a slide.

He’s wearing a school uniform with only three signatures written in marker pen.

Next to him is a bag. A sleeping bag is laid out on the ground.

He stares into space.

He’s bereft. Like he’s trapped at the bottom of a pit.

He looks up at the top of the swing. To the cross bar.

He starts to cry.

He reaches down to his bag. He can’t bring himself to do what’s next.

As he slowly reaches into his bag to take something out he suddenly hears music. It’s coming towards him.

He frantically grabs his stuff and hides.

TOM and MIKE come in. They’re drinking beer. They have their phone plugged into a speaker playing music.

MIKE seizes the playground.

MIKE: Yes! It’s fucking ours.

TOM: Fucking yes!

MIKE: But what about the last question?

TOM: I wrote about the parallels between The Tempest and euthanasia.

MIKE: Seriously? I fucking hate you. I’m gonna fail English Lit now. BEER.

TOM: BEER.

MIKE: FUCKING BEER.

They drink.

TOM: You say that every time and you get A’s. You’re full of shit.

MIKE: I am not.

TOM: You’re so full of shit.

MIKE: Last year? Economics F. Business Studies F. Biology E.

TOM: Bullshit.

MIKE: BEER.

TOM: BEER.

MIKE: BEER.

TOM: You’re a fucking twat. You always beat me at everything.

MIKE: I’ve failed. I bet you any money.

TOM: Yeah? How much?

MIKE: Holy shit. Tom… We did it.

They can hardly take in this idea.

TOM: We made it…? It’s over…?

TOM starts laughing at the thought. He can’t stop.

TOM: Oh shit, it’s over.

MIKE: I can’t… Is this actually real?

TOM: Yeah.

MIKE: How the fuck did this happen?

They’re both laughing in shock now.

TOM: A levels. Done.

MIKE: No more exams. Ever again.

TOM: …until uni.

They try and take this in for a moment.

They can’t. It’s too big.

TOM: What’s the first thing you’re gonna do?

MIKE: Tomorrow? Vomit. In bed. Then go back to sleep.

TOM: No, like on results day.

MIKE: I dunno.

TOM: It’s too fucking huge. I can’t even get my head around it.

MIKE: I’m gonna go mental, eat KFC and then suck my own dick.

TOM: Fuck off.

MIKE: I can actually reach you know.

TOM: Yeah but you have to do it yourself. Like with your own mouth.

MIKE shrugs.

TOM: Doesn’t that make you gay?

MIKE: It makes you talented.

TOM: But it’s your own dick man. Your own dick!

MIKE: I hate that you’re going. Seriously. I fucking hate it.

They both fall into a silence.

MIKE: Monday? You couldn’t wait one more week to move? You’re gonna miss everything.

TOM: I know but my dad started his new job months ago, and mum said as soon...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Cast
• Half-title page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Characters
• Chapters