PROJECTION & LIGHTING DESIGNER
THE CAVERN, VAULT FESTIVAL 2019 (IN DEVELOPMENT SHOWING)
WILDCARD
Yasmin Sidhu and Casey Smith are best friends. At 17 the world as they know it is soon about to change. Yasmin will be off to University, a good one - to do maths. And Casey, well Casey needs to figure out what on earth it is she wants to be. She’s heard you can make a living doing makeup tutorials on insta, and nobody can contour like Casey.
In their small town in the midlands these two girls have grown up wildly different, thats what makes their friendship so strong, so deep. So when a video of Yasmin goes viral, everyone is shocked that it is her that is breaking the internet and not Casey.
'17' is a look at what it's like being a teenager now: trying things, learning stuff, failing, succeeding, heartbreak, expectations and shame. At 17 your world isn't just home, school and maybe further maths club, with the internet watching and recording and repeating your actions, your choices are there for everyone to see and for everyone to have an opinion on.
This lyrical play will throw you back into those unsteady days of 17.
Cast & Creatives
Annice Boparai
Emma James
Playwright: Frankie Meredith
Director: Balisha Karra
Director: Finley-Rose Townsend
Producer: Joey Dawson
Lighting & Projection Designer: Timothy Kelly
Set Design Kaajel Patel
Sound Design: Dominic Kennedy
Cinematography: James Meteyard & Isaac Whittingham
Photos: Ali Wright
"The show is technically ambitious, making canny and restrained use of projection to illustrate the girls’ online life."
The Spy in the Stalls (★★★★)
"The back wall of The Vaults’ Cavern is cleverly used to project a stream of social media messages and YouTube clips.
[…] a raw, refreshing play that will resonate with everyone and anyone who had issues in their teens. It is fun but with a serrated edge."
CloseUp Culture (★★★★)
“A highlight of the piece [is the] projection of a social media timeline, with the actor’s forensic treatment of it as a timeline of criminal events, as if on a detective mission.”
Voice Mag (★★★★)
“A timeline of events is played out on the back wall through social media posts that spell out the girls’ pressures and priorities quite clearly. The cartoons used in place of photos heighten their sense of detachment from their real lives. Watching it play out and take hold of these impressionable young minds makes this a tough watch. We may not be 17 anymore, but do we really know any better?”
“A promising two-hander about teenage friendship, sex and social media”
“17. is not one to be missed, as the message is clear and important and provides a voice for all young women who have ever felt attacked, pressured and victimized through the ever-changing world of social media.”
With Her Words (★★★★)