Aisha

Female | Teen | under 3 minutes
Starts on page 1

EXTRACT: In the middle of the quad that day Kelly walks up to Sam and slaps her in the face. Slap like a cracking whip. Everyone hears it. Stops. Sam shakes her head, turns away, turns back, runs at Kelly, pushes her to the ground, punches her in the face. Kelly snatches Sam’s hair, twists it round her wrist, pulls her by the hair, looks her in the eye, spits in her face. Kids circle them, phones held overhead. Teacher pushes through the ring, rips Sam and Kelly apart. Teacher yells, spits anger in their faces. Two sides he’s saying. Two sides to every story. Everyone says that. Miss Rowse, the headmistress, stands in front of the whole school and raves on about protection. The school gates protect you from the outside, your parents and your friends protect you, look out for you. Her voice drops to almost a whisper as she says but you still need to protect yourselves. The story about the Truck Stop has more than two sides. Sam’s side. Kelly’s side. The truck drivers, their wives or girlfriends or mothers or sons. Sam’s mum, Kelly’s mum, Sam’s dad, the cop and the counsellor. Me.

ARTICLE: SCHOOLGIRLS PLAY WHO DARES SINS

ELISSA BLAKE, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 18 MARCH 2012

"It's a really interesting time to be writing a play that examines sexual mores and teenage sexual health.''

REVIEW: TRUCK STOP | Q THEATRE COMPANY

REBECCA WHITTON, AUSTRALIAN STAGE, 9 JUNE 2012

"Truck Stop is a thought provoking and deeply challenging play that doesn't offer easy solutions and in fact, poses more questions than it answers."

REVIEW: TRUCK STOP | Q THEATRE AT THE SEYMOUR CENTRE

AUGUSTA SUPPLE, 16 JUNE 2012

"Lachlan Philpott’s Truck Stop is not only a very entertaining and engaging play, but one of the most culturally important, artistically significant and socially relevent portraits of where we are, right here and now."

ARTICLE: TRUCK STOP

DARRYN KING, TIMEOUT SYDNEY, JUNE 2012

"Truck Stop may have teen protagonists and a teen audience in mind ­– its three young actresses have been listening to Ke$ha, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj as part of their ongoing preparation – but, as with Silent Disco, the themes are way bigger than the schoolyard."