A Youth Presumed

‘It is borne from historical fact, but holds its worth as a work of comparative fiction. It is met as theatrical fiction, but comes to hold power for the audience as a work of comparative fact ... It is a play that I now find myself questioning the archetypal nature of, as an adult. But it is a play that I also loved for its archetypes, as a teenager. And so I see this to be my issue, having gone from one state to another.’


In A Youth Presumed, Finegan Kruckemeyer presents a contemporary response to a treasured Australian play – a personal and thrilling take on Blackrock by Nick Enright.


A Youth Presumed is part of Cue the Chorus, a series of ten thought-provoking responses to classic Australian stories. The other titles in the series are:


1. An Ever-Changing Idiom by Alana Valentine – a response to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler


2. The Makings of a Man by John Harding – a response to No Sugar by Jack Davis


3. Playing Awkward by Noëlle Janacewska - a response to The Chapel Perilous by Dorothy Hewett


4. Pulling Rabbits Out of Hats by Melissa Reeves – a response to Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell


5. Radiant Women on Radiant Country by Andrea James – a response to Radiance by Louis Nowra


6. Robin Shall Restore Amends by Hilary Bell – a response to Away by Michael Gow


7. Still Waters by Wesley Enoch - a response to The Secret River by Kate Grenville; an adaptation for the stage by Andrew Bovell


8. The Unexpected Feminist by Van Badham – a response to The Removalists by David Williamson


9. What Goes Around Comes Around by Kate Mulvany – a response to Hotel Sorrento by Hannie Rayson