ONE THUMB OUT

$5.40 – $15.00

Present day. The war in the Middle East has escalated and conscription has been introduced to Australia. But Olly has no intention of dying for something he doesn't understand. He escapes from the training barracks days before he is due to fight in Iraq. His brother Joe, who has also been conscripted, tries to find Olly and turn him in.

Olly meets up with Gemma, a violent activist who has been ejected from her collective for trying to spill blood for peace. Olly and Gemma both hate the war, but for different reasons, and they begin to make plans to avoid the law and Joe. Gemma also plots to use Olly to boost her reputation in her activist group. But when Olly's best friend, Chick, dies from an enemy bomb, Olly is torn between the desire to fight for his friend's honour and the need to continue his journey towards freedom.

An energetic drama that explores the young Australian's sense of duty and asks where our loyalty lies - with our family, our friends, our country or ourselves?

Winner of 2002 Write Now! Young Playwrights's Competition.

"...it's a ripper... a punchy, intelligent and theatrically sophisticated drama." - Colin Rose, The Sun-Herald, 8 December 2002

APT