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Mirror Game
In this powerful and moving play which speaks honestly and intelligently to teens, Dennis Foon examines the cyclical nature of physical and psychological abuse. When abusive behaviour surfaces in the lives of four friends, the teenagers are forced to examine how learned behaviour can be mirrored by victims and home situations.
- GenresPlays
Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 21, 2022
I used this in my grade 10 drama class to teach scene studies.
“Mirror Games” is a simple delve into how familial relationships of young people can influence their own chosen romantic and interpersonal relationships.
The scenes in this play offered great springboards of insight and conversation among my students (aged 15-16) as it helped them grapple and further understand character motivation, and learning the difference between validating the actions of those who perpetuate the cycle of abuse versus being empathetic to their upbringing and private lives.
I recommend this play to Drama and English teachers. Students must be old enough to understand the nuances of continuing generational cycles, so I be weary of teaching this with a gr.9 class (definitely not younger)- but I feel grade 10, depending on the maturity level of your students, would be a good grade to teach this work.
I would not recommend this for a senior production or enriched theatre class just because I don’t think the play has much potential in terms of studying set design or production elements. It’s strengths lie in the character study.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
“Mirror Games” is a simple delve into how familial relationships of young people can influence their own chosen romantic and interpersonal relationships.
The scenes in this play offered great springboards of insight and conversation among my students (aged 15-16) as it helped them grapple and further understand character motivation, and learning the difference between validating the actions of those who perpetuate the cycle of abuse versus being empathetic to their upbringing and private lives.
I recommend this play to Drama and English teachers. Students must be old enough to understand the nuances of continuing generational cycles, so I be weary of teaching this with a gr.9 class (definitely not younger)- but I feel grade 10, depending on the maturity level of your students, would be a good grade to teach this work.
I would not recommend this for a senior production or enriched theatre class just because I don’t think the play has much potential in terms of studying set design or production elements. It’s strengths lie in the character study.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
August 13, 2025
A very accessible script for young teens to work with peer, teacher, and parent relationships.
December 1, 2025
“Mirror Game works like this: Maggie’s in love with Bob, Bob’s in love with Sara, Sara’s in love with Luke, Luke beats on Sara. Through it all, we see their parents as giant shadows that loom over their lives.” That was an actual quote from the author’s website. https://dennisfoon.com/mirror-game/ And you can just feel the mood in that sentence shift from teenage romcom to dark comedy as soon as you read the word; “beats”. Can you believe this is only the third review? It covers sensitive topics like abuse, self harm, drug use, and infidelity. Don’t panic if you’re planning to use this for school because the first time I read this, it was for ninth grade drama. In fact, just how unfiltered it is makes it more interesting and even potentially relatable for teen readers. Another thing on Dennis Foon’s website is the story of how he decided to write “Mirror Game”.
“I had no idea what I was going to write when I started researching Mirror Game. I was invited to take over a senior drama class once a week at Gladstone High in Vancouver, and spent the time talking with the kids and doing some improvisation with them. After a month or so, I still had no clue what I was going to write about. Then one of girls walked in with a black eye. I asked her what happened. ‘My boyfriend hit me,’she said. I asked her why and she shrugged: ‘I was late.’
So I decided to write the play about that.
-Dennis Foon
This is definitely an underrated play. There are a lot of set changes that would make it difficult to act out, but the story is compelling.
I really like the stylistic choice of having the parents be seen only as shadows throughout the whole play. There isn’t much happening with Bob, even though he’s the main character. But the times he breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the audience, are a nice touch.
The ending is pretty vague, and I wish there was a sequel. But all in all, a great read. I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of angst.
“I had no idea what I was going to write when I started researching Mirror Game. I was invited to take over a senior drama class once a week at Gladstone High in Vancouver, and spent the time talking with the kids and doing some improvisation with them. After a month or so, I still had no clue what I was going to write about. Then one of girls walked in with a black eye. I asked her what happened. ‘My boyfriend hit me,’she said. I asked her why and she shrugged: ‘I was late.’
So I decided to write the play about that.
-Dennis Foon
This is definitely an underrated play. There are a lot of set changes that would make it difficult to act out, but the story is compelling.
I really like the stylistic choice of having the parents be seen only as shadows throughout the whole play. There isn’t much happening with Bob, even though he’s the main character. But the times he breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the audience, are a nice touch.
The ending is pretty vague, and I wish there was a sequel. But all in all, a great read. I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of angst.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews