Name: THE JOY OF TEXT
SKU: ASC-1462
Availability: InStock

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THE JOY OF TEXT

$5.40 – $19.00

A RED DOOR PUBLICATION

Literary theory may seem harmless, but mix it with the impish personality of Danny, a precocious high school student, and the result is not deconstruction but sheer devastation. When a certain controversial book falls into his hands, it’s time to create his own provocative meta-narrative. As his actions send the school into chaos, he learns that, although the author is dead and meaning lacks foundation, the real world has no time for irony.

Set against a backdrop of staffroom politics, The Joy of Text is a bitingly intelligent comedy on the nature of satire, the subjectivity of truth and the knife edge of student-teacher relations.

"(Robert Reid’s) mainstage debut is notable for its discipline, careful construction, unforced characterisation and Aaron Sorkin-like velocity and wit" - The Australian

"Makes for an enjoyable piece of satire" - Theatre People

“Far and away the stand-out MTC production of the year to date, and, truly, the principal joy of it is the text.” - Timeout

“Reid’s play is often brilliant, very funny with a deft theatrical wit.” - Alison Croggon

(This play is sold in our eCombo format, which provides a bundle of file types in a single download, so you can read your script on your favourite e-reader device or print from PDF. Download more information)

Tom Healey in conversation with Robert Reid about The Joy of Text:

[[VideoYouTube? &video=`OAOtFP2NVVg`&width=`340`&height=`204`&showinfo=`0` &comment=`Playbox_Collection`]]

Form/Style: satire
Length in minutes: 120
Cast: 4 total
Roles: 2 female identifying, 2 male identifying
Cast age groups: 16 to 18, 18+
Audience age: all ages
Publisher: Australian Script Centre

GALLERY
LINKS & DOWNLOADS
PRODUCTION HISTORY

MEDIA RELEASE: THE JOY OF TEXT

MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY, 15 JUNE 2011

PDF Download (426KB) Media Release for production of 'The Joy of Text' by Robert Reid, production by the Melbourne Theatre Company, 2011.

PLAYWRIGHT ROBERT REID FINDS HUMAN COMEDY IN BIG IDEAS

PAUL GALLOWAY, POSTMODERN SOUP.

"â€˜I was attracted to the scandal that happened around Helen Demidenko-slash-Darvilleâ€™s identity and certain parallels with the sexual harassment scandal that Helen Garner was investigating at Ormond College,â€™ he says. â€˜I got to thinking: What if the two events were part of the same event? In common youth parlance, I created a mash-up.â€™

PROGRAM: THE JOY OF TEXT BY ROBERT REID

LA MAMA THEATRE, 2013

PDF Download (1.6MB) Program for La Mama production of 'The Joy of Text' by Robert Reid.

ROBERT REID

PAUL ANDREW, AUSTRALIAN STAGE, 22 JUNE 2011

Robert Reid talks to Australian Stage's Paul Andrew.

REVIEW: THE JOY OF TEXT

LIZA DEZFOULL, ARTSHUB, 15 JULY 2011

"Unashamedly intelligent, the play engages with semantics, post-modernism, deconstructionism and morality without patronising either the audience or its characters. Intellectual without being high-flown, accessible and challenging, this work is comical, timely and a whole heap of fun."

REVIEW: THE JOY OF TEXT

ANDREW FUHRMANN, TIMEOUT MELBOURNE, 23 FEBRUARY 2011

"This is far and away the stand-out MTC production of the year to date, and, truly, the principal joy of it is the text."

REVIEW: SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL IN ENDEARING TALE

CHRIS BOYD, THE AUSTRALIAN, 17 JUNE 2011

"A 300-student state secondary school is the setting for this sordid but endearing tale of teachers accused of having sex with their students."

THE JOY OF TEXT: ROBERT REID

SIOBHAN ARGENT, BEAT.COM.AU, APRIL 2011

"True to its titillating title, The Joy of Text manages to link literary theory with sex. Melbourne playwright Robert Reid explains how he wrote a play that makes thinking about text sexy."

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