THE LOST ONES
Commissioned, devised with and premiered by Graffiti Theatre Company, Cork, Ireland
PREMIER PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY EMILIE FITZGIBBON
INCLUDED IN ASSITEJ INTERNATIONAL
BEST PLAYS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES, 1989
THE STORY
Set in a world of conflict, the orphaned, feral children play only at what they know: War. With no experience of normal relationships and nothing but a battered copy of Peter Pan, they construct a meaningful world of their own, until the arrival first of Girl and then an Enemy forces them to look outside their makeshift fortress into the forbidden world beyond. The Lost Ones explores brotherhood, survival and courage in the face of the unknown. An exploration of relationships, courage and the power of memory, this gripping, action-filled play challenges young audiences to examine the cost of war and ask: What would you do?
CAST: 3 men, 1 woman
Comments from Irish teachers:
"This play helped the children realize that rights which they may take for granted are not enjoyed by everyone."
"The children were enthralled throughout. The world we live in today is a very small place. This play makes them more aware of self-protection and self-preservation."
"We found the play touching and stimulating. We realize how lucky we are not to be involved in a war, unlike many of our peers throughout the world."
"Excellent production. It made the students more aware of the rights of children."
For producing rights and information contact Laurie at laurielbrooks@gmail.com
For book purchase contact Graffiti Theatre at www.graffiti.ie
The Lost Ones was supported by An Chomhairle Ealaion/The Arts Council of Ireland and the Children's Theatre Foundation of America
"Regardless of the social or political context of any production, The Lost Ones offers an affirmation of the resilience, optimism, and generosity of the human spirit that transcends time, place and situation."
--Dr. Roger Bedard, Evelyn Smith Family Professor of Theatre, Arizona State University
Excerpt from "CHILDREN IN WAR....TO KILL THE BIG RATS" By Emilie Fitzgibbon
"It seems to me that every 12 year old I’ve come across in a long career is deeply interested in morality, ethics, in the rights of individuals in human behaviour. I sometimes feel that the adults in some societies wish to show happy images of childhood which reflect only an idealised view of it – nothing wrong with that, I suppose.
However, if theatre exclusively deals with an idealised view is it denying children’s audiences the ability to safely explore the dark. And if as societies we play too safe and don’t trust our children and our artists we get into a spiral of ‘playing it safe’ – parents with children, teachers with fear of parental reaction, artists with worries about funders’ responses, etc., and the losers are the children who night after night see images of children in vulnerable situations, refugees, victims of war, poverty, starvation and ask ‘why?’
We live in a world where violence accelerates quickly to ethnic cleansing. Then it’s not sufficient to kill the adults the future must be wiped out as well. In a 1994 radio broadcast before the violence in Rwanda erupted a radio commentator said, ‘To kill the big rats, you have to kill the little rats.’ Horrific, inhuman, unthinkable but existing still in a world 20 years later. Literature, Theatre, the arts in general allow children and young people a way to develop not just aesthetic judgements but judgements about morality, ethics and war and as artists we must continue to try to encourage that to happen.