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Age of Minority: Three Solo Plays
Winner, 2014 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama
Three of Jordan Tannahill’s fresh and riveting works are featured in this collection, including Get Yourself Home Skyler James , Peter 59 Minutes , and rihannaboi95 .
Based on a true story, Get Yourself Home Skyler James follows the harrowing journey of a young lesbian who defects from the army when she is outed by fellow soldiers. Peter 59 Minutes chronicles the last hour of Peter Fechter’s life, a teenager in East Berlin shot while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall in 1962 with his companion. Finally, the award-winning rihannaboi95 centers around a Toronto teen whose world comes crashing in when YouTube videos of him dancing to songs by his favourite pop heroine go viral. Together these solo plays explore the lives of three queer youth and their resilience in the face of violence and intolerance.
“…one of Canada’s most promising young independent theatre artists.”—Alison Broverman, Toronto Star
Jordan Tannahill is a Toronto-based playwright, director, and filmmaker. Through his company Suburban Beast, he has developed and presented plays at theatres including Buddies in Bad Times, Canadian Stage, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Theatre Centre. Jordan is the 2011 recipient of the Inside Out Film Festival’s Emerging Canadian Artist Award, the 2011 Ken McDougall Award for Emerging Directors, and the 2012 Enbridge playRites Award. He runs a storefront theatre called Videofag in Toronto's Kensington Market with his partner William.
Three of Jordan Tannahill’s fresh and riveting works are featured in this collection, including Get Yourself Home Skyler James , Peter 59 Minutes , and rihannaboi95 .
Based on a true story, Get Yourself Home Skyler James follows the harrowing journey of a young lesbian who defects from the army when she is outed by fellow soldiers. Peter 59 Minutes chronicles the last hour of Peter Fechter’s life, a teenager in East Berlin shot while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall in 1962 with his companion. Finally, the award-winning rihannaboi95 centers around a Toronto teen whose world comes crashing in when YouTube videos of him dancing to songs by his favourite pop heroine go viral. Together these solo plays explore the lives of three queer youth and their resilience in the face of violence and intolerance.
“…one of Canada’s most promising young independent theatre artists.”—Alison Broverman, Toronto Star
Jordan Tannahill is a Toronto-based playwright, director, and filmmaker. Through his company Suburban Beast, he has developed and presented plays at theatres including Buddies in Bad Times, Canadian Stage, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Theatre Centre. Jordan is the 2011 recipient of the Inside Out Film Festival’s Emerging Canadian Artist Award, the 2011 Ken McDougall Award for Emerging Directors, and the 2012 Enbridge playRites Award. He runs a storefront theatre called Videofag in Toronto's Kensington Market with his partner William.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Tannahill
26 books125 followersJordan Tannahill is a Canadian novelist and playwright based in London.
His debut novel, Liminal, won France's 2021 Prix des Jeunes Libraires. His second novel, The Listeners, was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize.
Tannahill is the author of several plays, and the book of essays, Theatre of the Unimpressed.
In 2019, CBC Arts named Tannahill as one of sixty-nine LGBTQ Canadians, living or deceased, who has shaped the country's history.
His debut novel, Liminal, won France's 2021 Prix des Jeunes Libraires. His second novel, The Listeners, was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Giller Prize.
Tannahill is the author of several plays, and the book of essays, Theatre of the Unimpressed.
In 2019, CBC Arts named Tannahill as one of sixty-nine LGBTQ Canadians, living or deceased, who has shaped the country's history.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 15, 2022
I picked this up on a whim about a week ago. I wanted to challenge myself to read something new. Outside of school, I’ve only ever read one play before on my own time; I’ve never had any hard feelings toward plays, but as a genre they never really stood out to me. I think Jordan Tannahill changed that for me (I’m very excited about this). I loved the experience that reading Age of Minority gave me.
I’m giving these plays 4/5, 4/5 and 5/5 stars, respectively. The last play, Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes, truly stood out for me. It was absolutely heartbreaking in its explorations of the extents that we will go to to receive and experience love. I got emotional towards the end of the play when Peter neared his death. Tannahills execution of this section is admirable, i could picture everything that Tannahill set out to capture. The way Peter described all of the sounds around him in the moments before he passed is probably my favourite thing that I’ve read in a while.
Something to note about these plays is that they’re monologues rather than dialogues. This was definitely odd to me at the beginning, and I was sceptical about how that would even work as a play. But it does, and I loved it. This method of play writing really allows you to get a magnified look into the character, and see them in all of their most vulnerable conditions.
I will definitely be seeking out some more plays to read, and I definitely hope that one day I’ll get the experience of seeing Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes live.
I’m giving these plays 4/5, 4/5 and 5/5 stars, respectively. The last play, Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes, truly stood out for me. It was absolutely heartbreaking in its explorations of the extents that we will go to to receive and experience love. I got emotional towards the end of the play when Peter neared his death. Tannahills execution of this section is admirable, i could picture everything that Tannahill set out to capture. The way Peter described all of the sounds around him in the moments before he passed is probably my favourite thing that I’ve read in a while.
Something to note about these plays is that they’re monologues rather than dialogues. This was definitely odd to me at the beginning, and I was sceptical about how that would even work as a play. But it does, and I loved it. This method of play writing really allows you to get a magnified look into the character, and see them in all of their most vulnerable conditions.
I will definitely be seeking out some more plays to read, and I definitely hope that one day I’ll get the experience of seeing Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes live.
March 18, 2020
Good plays.
Read for a class so not my typical genre or subject matter. Personally I don’t love monologue plays, nor do I love reading plays (despite being an actor) because they’re meant to be a more multi-sensual experience. By that I mean experienced with more of the senses.
All three were good plays, but rhiannaboi95 was my favorite. The first two plays though both gave me lots of feels (mostly anger at the hate and injustice people still have for lgbt people). But the last play had the least impact on me - maybe because I didn’t really understand why he was running away. He was a lot less overtly queer than the other characters so if it hadn’t been in the notes I wouldn’t have known that at all, and I don’t truly have a strong understanding of the history surrounding the Berlin Wall. So that one didn’t resonate as much with me.
Read for a class so not my typical genre or subject matter. Personally I don’t love monologue plays, nor do I love reading plays (despite being an actor) because they’re meant to be a more multi-sensual experience. By that I mean experienced with more of the senses.
All three were good plays, but rhiannaboi95 was my favorite. The first two plays though both gave me lots of feels (mostly anger at the hate and injustice people still have for lgbt people). But the last play had the least impact on me - maybe because I didn’t really understand why he was running away. He was a lot less overtly queer than the other characters so if it hadn’t been in the notes I wouldn’t have known that at all, and I don’t truly have a strong understanding of the history surrounding the Berlin Wall. So that one didn’t resonate as much with me.
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January 1, 2021Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
I think I’m just not into reading plays honestly. I don’t have a lot to say here. I didn’t hate this or anything but I mostly just felt like I was reading something for school that was supposed to expand my mind. Not for me, but you do you if you’re into reading plays.
I think I’m just not into reading plays honestly. I don’t have a lot to say here. I didn’t hate this or anything but I mostly just felt like I was reading something for school that was supposed to expand my mind. Not for me, but you do you if you’re into reading plays.
December 4, 2023
My attention span has turned to mush so this trilogy was a nice way to ease myself back into reading. Interesting to read 10 years after it was published - I wonder if/how rihannaboi95 would be changed if written in today’s social media climate.
June 5, 2017
I'm not normally one for reading plays or listening to audiobooks, but this audiobook of three plays was great. The plays themselves were engaging and emotionally moving. Definitely recommend.
November 27, 2017
Get Yourself Home Skyler James - 4 stars
Peter Fechter: 52 Minutes - 5 stars
rihannaboi95 - 5 stars
Peter Fechter: 52 Minutes - 5 stars
rihannaboi95 - 5 stars
January 28, 2018
Man my heart hurts,
I wish I knew about these in 2013 when they were being preformed.
I wish I knew about these in 2013 when they were being preformed.
February 5, 2018
Trying to remind myself of why I love theatre. This is the first step in that journey.
January 17, 2015
This set of three solo-plays (semi-monologues) was wonderful. They were so well written and realised that they broke my heart. I also enjoyed the 'forwards' to each play that told me a little about the performers and the performances, since all of these monologues have been performed and experienced numerous times. Just wonderful.
July 14, 2021
3.5/5, 5/5, and 5/5 for the individual works respectively, so i’m rounding up!!! i was familiar with peter fechter: 59 minutes already and wanted to own the script cause it really stunned me. so very happy to also have found rihannaboy95 in that process- it was my favourite by far— so so tender and well structured and quick. also pre-covid online theatre???? y’all seeing this??
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews