Dags

by Debra Oswald

Gillian is sixteen, suffers from the occasional ‘ack-attack’, and is worried about not having a boyfriend. She loves chocolate and is infatuated with the best-looking boy in school. A funny and compassionate look at adolescence.

Genres: Plays

66 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1987

About the author

Debra Oswald is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She is a two-time winner of the NSW Premier's Literary Award and author of the novels Useful (2015), The Whole Bright Year (2018) and The Family Doctor (2021). She was creator/head writer of the first five seasons of the successful TV series Offspring.

Her stage plays have been performed around the world and published by Currency Press. Gary's House, Sweet Road and The Peach Season were all shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Award. Debra has also written four plays for young audiences—Dags, Skate, Stories in the Dark and House on Fire. She has written three Aussie Bites books and six children's novels, including The Redback Leftovers.

Her television credits include award-winning episodes of Police Rescue, Palace of Dreams, The Secret Life of Us, Sweet and Sour and Bananas in Pyjamas.

Debra performed her one-woman show Is There Something Wrong With That Lady? at the Griffin Theatre in 2021 and a month-long season at the Ensemble in 2023.

Reviews

[Kaila]

3.5/5 stars

This was a hilarious portrayal of Australian teenagers. Never before have I felt that a cast of teenage characters, especially the main character, have been portrayed so accurately. Dags just reminded me of my time in high school and left a smile on my face. It was an awfully short play but it was a delightful read.

[Emily]

A quirky and light-hearted play that ultimately has a good message. However I'm not sure if it's because this was written in the 80s but ironicly I found the play to 'daggy' and cringey. It seems very much like a play Year 9 drama students would put on. Which perhaps is the intention! Regardless, it's great that there is a theatrical portrayal of Aussie teens, albeit dated.