Teenage sex in a post-internet world. Today, when a 16 year old wants to know something about sex – they just Google it. They Google things like: average dick size, clopping, scissoring, what’s squirt and does sex hurt?
Presented as part of this year’s Poppy Seed Theatre Festival, F. navigates how teenagers learn about sex and sexuality in 2016 through a dense and stimulating digital landscape – tinder, sexting, web-cams, instant gratification and online personas.
Through a combination of anonymous online surveys, candid conversations and gutsy improvisations, Riot Stage worked with a group of 12 teenagers (15 – 19 year olds) to navigate the topics that have informed the creation of F. including porn, masturbation, consent, pubic hair, gender, kinks and the pressures of a media saturated world.
A fictionalised presentation grounded on very real issues, F. mirrors the internet – it’s an overload of information designed for short attention spans – where five minutes is way too long and content is repeated, adapted and transformed again and again.
“F. is a new work based on truth and steeped in fantasy about how the internet is taking over our brains and highlights that teens are the ones dealing with the consequences,” says director, Katrina Cornwell. “We are spring boarding from Frank Wedekind’s classic Spring Awakening which examined the ramifications of sexual oppression in 1892 and re-examining the same issues in a contemporary setting,”
Since 2010, Riot Stage has collaborated with independent professional artists and teenagers to create innovative, dangerous, current work inspired by the experiences of young people.
Katrina Cornwell is the founder and Artistic Director of Riot Stage. She is a passionate youth arts practitioner that has worked with with young people as a teacher, facilitator and director for over 10 years. Katrina has a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Performance) from QUT and is currently studying a Masters of CCD at the VCA.
Director: Katrina Cornwell Performers: Ross Daniels, Alanna Marshall, Sarah Conroy, Sunny Chiron, Taylor Seagal, Bonnie Brown, Todd Kingston, Izzy White, Jack Zapsalis, Thi Minh Chau (Blair) Phan, Ben van Rijn, Charlie Brown, Elise Louey Writer: Morgan Rose Assistant Director: Amelia Newman Set and Costume Design: Yvette Turnbull Lighting Design: Matthew Adey Sound Design and Composer: Raya Slavin Stage Manager: Kate Brennan Peer Advisor on Gender Sexuality and Diversity: Cecelia Devlin Producer: Anna Kennedy
F.
New Ballroom – Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street, Carlton
Season: 1 – 11 December 2016 (preview: 30 November)
Bookings: www.poppyseed.net.au
For more information, visit: www.riotstage.com for details.
Image: Riot Stage presents F. – photo by Sarah Walker
Content Warning: This show examines themes of consent, suicide and sexual abuse. It contains strong language and is recommended for audiences 15+.