Description

Inspired by true events that occurred in a south-western NSW town, Skate is about a group of kids battling their local council to get a skate park built in their home town of Narragindi. In the midst of this struggle, they are forced to deal with the sudden death of one of their friends. They attempt one final stand; the skate park holds the promise of renewing local youth pride and self-esteem.

Skate is a turbo-charged, moving and funny account of the mates, mothers, tricks and traumas of a group of young skaters. Enhanced by live skateboarding, the play is full of the emotional awkwardness of adolescence, its adrenaline, compassion and humour, and reflects the hopes and aspirations of young people in regional Australia.

Biography

Debra Oswald

DEBRA OSWALD is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter, and a two-time winner of the NSW Premier’s Literary Award. Her stage plays have been performed around the world, including Gary’s House, Sweet Road, Mr Bailey’s Minder and The Peach Season. Debra has also written four plays for young audiences – Dags, Skate, Stories in the Dark and House on Fire. Debra was the creator and head writer on the successful TV series Offspring. Her other television credits include episodes of Police Rescue, Sweet and Sour and Bananas in Pyjamas. Debra has published nine children’s books and four adult novels, including The Family Doctor and One Hundred Years of Betty. She performed her one-woman show Is There Something Wrong With That Lady? at Griffin Theatre in 2021 and the Ensemble in 2023.

Photo Credit: Alex Vaughan