Precariat - (Oberon Modern Plays) by Chris Dunkley (Paperback)

About the Book

A new play from successful and award-winning British playwright Chris Dunkley.

Book Synopsis

'I can see this life for exactly what it is. I can now, anyway. We're walkin' a knife edge. One slip, one tiny slip an' we fall. An' there's a fuck of a long way to fall...even for us. An' we're kept there...on the knife edge...because they can tell yer which way t'go. Forward or down.'

Fin's bright. Some would say gifted. But school isn't going well. While he is busy coping with his mum's depression and his younger brother's drug problem, he can feel his future slipping away. The few jobs that are available in North London are part-time or temporary, and Fin knows his future will be a life of unstable pay, minimal social security benefits, no pension and eroding health care. He is the future of the emerging major class - living precarious lives at the mercy of the one percent: The Precariat. With his world collapsing slowly around him, Fin finds hope and attraction with the girl at the fried chicken drive-through window. But even she can't offer him a way out. Fin makes one final desperate bid to take control over the future - by giving his brother the chance to turn his life around.

"An incredibly moving story... This play is not only socially significant, but it is also a pure joy to watch." - The Upcoming

"It is a frighteningly real picture of disaffected youth and economic and cultural deprivation, of the creation of the "Precariat" as economists have begun to dub the new lowest class on the social scale that lives at the mercy of the top one percent." - British Theatre Guide

" With] a plot that tackles issues regarding society, class and youth, The Precariat is... an excellent play with a profound message." - One Stop Arts

"Sparks fly through Chris Dunkley's script almost as furiously as in the 2011 London riots which surround the action." - Reviews Gate

Review Quotes

"With a superb cast and an incredibly moving story, this is a performance that should not be missed. This play is not only socially significant, but it is also a pure joy to watch." --The Upcoming

"It is a frighteningly real picture of disaffected youth and economic and cultural deprivation, of the creation of the "Precariat" as economists have begun to dub the new lowest class on the social scale that lives at the mercy of the top one percent." --British Theatre Guide

"With an exceptionally adept cast and a plot that tackles issues regarding society, class and youth, The Precariat is... an excellent play with a profound message." --One Stop Arts

"Sparks fly through Chris Dunkley's script almost as furiously as in the 2011 London riots which surround the action" --Reviews Gate

About the Author

Chris Dunkley's play Mirita premiered at the Finborough Theatre, was named Time Out Critics' Choice, and transferred Off Broadway to the Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City, alongside his short play Lisa Says. Other theatre includes Almost Blue (Riverside Studios), How to Tell the Truth (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough), Lucy is a Minger (Spinney Hill Theatre, Northampton) and The Festival (Wimbledon Studio Theatre). Radio includes The All Colour Vegetarian Cookbook and The Architects, both for the BBC. Chris has been Writer in Residence at Royal and Derngate Theatres, Northampton, and Writer on Attachment at the Royal Court Theatre. He was the 2002 winner of the International Student Playscript Competition and winner of the PMA writers' award in 2001.