Offensive Fouls

Offensive Fouls is a Canadian play about racism written for young adults, for use in secondary schools.[1] It was written by Jason Long.[2]

Offensive Fouls
Written byJason Long
CharactersJoey
Christine
Date premiered1999
Original languageEnglish
SubjectBasketball
Racism
SettingCanada

History and plot

The play premiered in 1999 and was initially produced by All Nations Theatre, the organization that commissioned Long to write the play.[3] Hustle n' Bustle Theatre made its debut with the play in 2011.[4] There are only two characters in the play:[5] Joey, a 17-year-old Irish-Canadian basketball player;[6] and Christine, his Chinese-Canadian girlfriend.[7] The plot follows Joey as he is benched from his basketball team after Christine suspects that he was involved in a racially motivated corner-store vandalism incident.[8] Offensive Fouls is intended for an adolescent audience.[9]

Reception

The play was written for performances in secondary schools, and has been performed throughout Alberta.[10] Performances have also been held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as well as in Winnipeg. It was performed in Edmonton, Alberta as recently as 2011.[1]

The dialogue has been praised for presenting "teenagers who really sound like teenagers.”[1]

The play was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award.[11]

One reviewer remarked, "It’s not often the public gets a chance to see “what they’re teaching the kids these days,” so when you do, it behooves us to pay attention because the target audience will be calling the shots before too long."[1]

Offensive Fouls was published in a collection of Canadian plays for young adults titled Things That Go Bump in 2009.[10]

References
  1. Mike Ross (November 22, 2011). "Theatre: Fiction stranger than truth in Offensive Fouls". Gig City. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  2. "Ten theatre companies presenting works at Courthouse Theatre". NiagaraThisWeek.com. October 3, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  3. Jared Story (February 16, 2012). "Keeping it real: Offensive Fouls takes an honest look at racism, as seen through the lens of teenage love". Uptown. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  4. Jon Kaplan; Glenn Sumi (March 31 – April 7, 2011). "Fouls flies: The birth of Hustle n' Bustle Theatre, Scrabble With The Stars, and more". Now. 30 (31). Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  5. Alison Mayes (February 17, 2012). "Racially charged play sure to score with teen audience". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  6. "Offensive Fouls". Concrete Theatre. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  7. "Offensive Fouls". Theatre Direct. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  8. "Young Company Touring Show". Neptune Theatre. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  9. "Manitoba Theatre for Young People: Offensive Fouls, February 13–18". Winnipeg Arts Council. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  10. Brennan, edited by Kit (2009). Things that go bump. Winnipeg: Signature Editions. ISBN 9781897109366.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  11. "Offensive Fouls". Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
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