Blackout - Context

'Blackout' is the true story of a 15-year-old boy charged with attempted murder who tries to piece together the events in his life that have brought him into a secure care unit and threaten to keep him there.

In the play 'Blackout' by Davey Anderson,  touches on a lot of themes and topics that face many young people in today's society. The overall feel I got from this is that not all young offenders are criminals, sometimes they are the victims.
The play carries the theme of social aspects in the younger generation and this is touched upon with James who lives in a divided community segregated from other neighbours and families;  I  infer this from the fact that his dad was a woman-beater and his mother was too embarrassed to leave the house there would have been a metaphorical trench between him and the wider community denying him a lot of things a normal child would have whilst growing up giving him from a very young age feelings of isolation and neglect from society. It deals with bullying one of the foundations of most problems teenagers face in the 21st century and also the loss of identity which is another problem nearly all people go through at one stage in their lives and I  feel this play tackles that throughout.  

The play also deals with the influences of media and films into how subcultures are created. As demonstrated very clearly James watches films like Romper Stomper and American History X and it "isn't enough for him anymore" so he needs more and he longs and lusts for violence.

Subcultures among youth groups is also highlighted as the play has loads of statements on skinhead culture and the general lifestyles of youths and young offenders. One of the main points in the play is when James shaves his hair off and his mum states: "You look like a skinhead", and the way that that particular subculture appealed to James as a means of escape from his existence and becoming a completely different person so he can escape being called a goth and fully commit to the world of being a skinhead which has conations of strength and not to be messed with.

To further my knowledge of the play, I researched 'Youth Offenders' and read an article from The Guardian on: Life in a young offenders' institution which highlighted some of the mental and physical trauma one goes through in this situation. It also helped me to understand the background history which leads up to youth committing crime and that there is a whole load of factors which contribute to the lead up of committing a crime at such a young age. Understanding the background of what goes through the mind of youth offenders helped me to tap into the mentality and use this during my performance towards James and helped me in how I reacted to his explosions and anger outbursts.

Article from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/nov/21/young-offenders-institution-ashfield