MOON

DNA deals with a whole host of contemporary issues through its portrayal of a particularly disaffected and alienated teenage-orientated view of the ‘modern’ world. The characters are loosely drawn, not often given space to comment on anything other than their immediate world and the complications of the relationships through which it is structured. The scenes are full of confrontational situations, often framed around a character addressing another with no response and at times this creates scenes constructed of a series of monologues. This lack of communication builds powerful dramatic tension and often explodes into furious argument between characters and within characters. The alienated self-existing in the world and defying convention is nothing new in literature; we only have to look to Holden Caulfield for a different generation’s depiction of teenage angst (though note there is no expectation that students studying this title will relate texts to other cultures or areas of literary heritage). However, DNA, as a drama, takes the negativity and nihilism of Catcher in the Rye to a wholly different level. There is virtually no communication with the world outside the friendship group portrayed in the opening scenes. The world of the characters takes very little notice of the rest of society until faced with the consequences of an act of wilful and ‘mindless’ aggression. The aftermath of this act brings the characters closer together and pulls them apart. Students will enjoy the power of the arguments and (hopefully) will be shocked by the immorality that underpins the choices made by some of the characters. This play will provoke intense discussion about right and wrong and our responsibility for each other.
Background and context
The play is set in an indeterminate place and time, though clearly contemporary in speech and reference. The spirit of place is less important than the intensity of the characters. The power struggles within the group of teenagers