Boys - Toi Whakaari Double Bill

Introducing one of Toi Whakaari Double Bill shows. - By arrangement with Playmarket

"Boys"
Adapted from Greg McGee’s Foreskin’s Lament by Eleanor Bishop.

Greg McGee’s Foreskin’s Lament – our state of the nation play about rugby culture and masculinity is the starting point for a new production BOYS, adapted by Eleanor Bishop. Using contemporary material from the Chief’s ‘stripper scandal’ to cricketer Scott Kuggeleijn, an ensemble of actors from Toi Whakaari take New Zealand’s iconic locker room play and ask, ‘what has changed since 1980?’, or more importantly, ‘what hasn’t?’

Foreskin’s Lament is one of New Zealand’s most important and enduring plays. It is a celebration and a critique of New Zealand’s obsession with rugby and it’s place in the role of making men. The titular character “Foreskin” is a rugby player who feels torn between the violence happening on his team and pride in the camaraderie of playing rugby on a team.

From 2013 to the present there have been several high profile incidents that have bought New Zealand’s own particular brand of misogyny into the spotlight. The most recent incident was the harassment stripper “Scarlette” received when she performed at a Chief’s end of season function. This incident highlighted that rugby culture, and in fact misogyny in New Zealand is alive and well.

BOYS adapted by Eleanor Bishop from Greg McGee’s Foreskin’s Lament, premiered at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in 2017 as part of the Auckland Theatre Company’s Here & Now Festival.

While the original focused on the fallout for broken rugby players, Eleanor Bishop’s assured extension concentrates on the women disrespected off‐field: given the Chiefs’ scandal and even Ponytailgate, Boys tells us that we haven’t come so far after all. — Janet McAlister, NZ Herald

Advisory:
Haze
Descriptions of sexual violence
Coarse language
Strobe
Recommend R15