Trophy Boys

Trophy Boys is an important play for two reasons. It highlights the attitudes that many young men exhibit towards women – exploitative, narcissistic, patronising and ignorant, and the play is written, directed and acted by young women. They have witnessed first hand what they present on stage.

Four senior boys, from the St Imperium Div.1 Interschool Debating team are placed in a room to prepare to debate against a team from a girls’ school. These are adolescents from an exclusive private school, the upper class, boys who will go on to University and then become captains of industry, politicians, judges or vice-Chancellors.  The topic of the debate is that Feminism has failed Women, the boys having to argue the affirmative. For them this is not an easy topic.

The four boys are played by female non binary actors, all of whom present convincingly as school boys dealing with hormonal overflow and insecurity, for which they compensate in various ways. The humour and satire highlights the serious message behind this play, so that it never become didactic. 

One of the ironies is that, judging by their attempts to formulate their arguments for the debate, none of them, except for Owen ( Myfanwy Hocking) would have ever been selected for a senior debating team, yet they are supremely confident that they will win easily because their opponents are girls and they have always beaten them. 

Their discussion and possible approaches to the subject of feminism and women range from Jarred (Fran Sweeney-Nash) exclaiming, perhaps more often than necessary, that he loves women, to final revelations that all of them had, in one way or another, behaved badly towards the girls of their acquaintance. Their sense of solidarity as team members is fractured when Scott (Tahlia Jameson) turns on them, then three of them reject David (Kidaan Zelleke). Self preservation wins over loyalty any time. A future in politics beckons!

The back drop of photographs of women who have achieved, such as Julia Gillard, Penny Wong, and Queen Elizabeth II, is in sharp contrast to these boys, on the verge of manhood, clearly trying to come to terms with their masculinity and what this means. The only given is their superiority over women.

While the message is current and serious, the play is bitingly funny.  Thanks to the writing by Emmanuelle Mattana and Direction by Marni Mount as well as the skill of the actors each of the roles is presented strongly. They are boisterous at times, churlish at times, unsure, boastful, frightened and vulnerable. They are as much a product and victim of our society as are the young women who are exploited and used.For this we can laugh at them, be shocked but not surprised by their attitudes, yet also feel some empathy. Who raised them in their formative years?

Trophy Boys has been a sell out success wherever it was performed, and Adelaide will not be an exception. It is an important play, not just for the younger members of our society but the older and ‘wiser’ members as well.

State Theatre Company

Space Theatre  17 March 2 April

Image: Ben Andrews