It's 1979, rubbish is on the streets of Bristol, and it's tricky being Fiz. She's thirteen, she's got no money, her sister's pregnant and her mum thinks she's a waste of space...

Rick remembers what it's like to be a teenager. So he thinks it won't take much to get a bunch of kids to help him build a playground out of junk.

He's wrong. It takes everything he's got. But when it's finished, it's going to be something. It's going to be everything...

Jack Thorne's honest and witty Junkyard, with music by Stephen Warbeck, premiered in 2017 in a co-production between Headlong, Bristol Old Vic, Rose Theatre Kingston and Theatr Clwyd, and directed by Jeremy Herrin.

About the Author

Jack Thorne's plays for the stage include Junkyard (Headlong, Bristol Old Vic, Rose Theatre Kingston & Theatr Clwyd, 2017); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre, London, 2016); The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae and Theatre Royal Plymouth, 2015); Hope (Royal Court, London, 2015); adaptations of Let the Right One In (National Theatre of Scotland at Dundee Rep, the Royal Court and the Apollo Theatre, London, 2013/14) and Stuart: A Life Backwards (Underbelly, Edinburgh and tour, 2013); Mydidae (Soho, 2012; Trafalgar Studios, 2013); an adaptation of Friedrich Du rrenmatt's The Physicists (Donmar Warehouse, 2012); Bunny (Underbelly, Edinburgh, 2010; Soho, 2011); 2nd May 1997 (Bush, 2009); When You Cure Me (Bush, 2005; Radio 3's Drama on Three, 2006); Fanny and Faggot (Pleasance, Edinburgh, 2004 and 2007; Finborough, 2007; English Theatre of Bruges, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007); and Stacy (Tron, 2006; Arcola, 2007; Trafalgar Studios, 2007).

His radio plays include Left at the Angel (Radio 4, 2007), an adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2009) and an original play People Snogging in Public Places (Radio 3's Wire slot, 2009).

He was a core writer in all three series of Skins (E4, Channel 4, BBC America), writing five episodes. His other TV writing includes National Treasure, The Last Panthers, Glue, The Fades (2012 BAFTA for Best Drama Series), Shameless, Cast-Offs, This is England '86 (2011 Royal Television Society Award for Best Writer - Drama), This is England '88, This is England '90 and the thirty-minute drama The Spastic King.

His work for film includes the features War Book, A Long Way Down, adapted from Nick Hornby's novel, and The Scouting Book for Boys, which won him the Star of London Best Newcomer Award at the London Film Festival 2009.

Reviews

'A touching tale... an engagingly ramshackle musical'

* The Times *

'A rallying cry for the celebration of imagination, and the value of that above all. It is warm and funny, and I can imagine it could be inspiring to young people who need to be reminded that their voice matters'

* Exeunt Magazine *

'This is not your usual West End musical fare. The songs here flow in and out of the dialogue effortlessly and add subtle depth and warmth to the characters'

* The Reviews Hub *

'A joyful musical for school misfits... left me smiling throughout as it celebrates the right of children and young people to turn their individual lives into an adventure through physical and imaginative play'

* Guardian *

'Highly entertaining... [has an] anarchic, playful free-form spirit... Thorne's script is genuinely funny and poignant while composer Stephen Warbeck's score has its pulse on the ska revival of the late '70s populated by those such as Bad Manners and Suggs. It also feels, in its mixing of everyday dialogue to music, akin to the understated beauty of London Road'

* WhatsOnStage *

'A heartfelt new musical... energetic and fun... like Jacqueline Wilson meets Skins'

* The Stage *



Book Information
ISBN 9781848426641
Author Jack Thorne
Format Paperback
Page Count 120
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books