In their exposé of Gen Z, The New York Times qualified its members
as the "most diverse generation in American history. Recent Broadway
hits have found a successful formula in productions showcasing the
emotional turmoil of contemporary young people, yet the majority of
these works represent predominantly white voices, both in terms of
authorship and representation. Non-white characters tend to exist only
in a world of colorblind casting rather than speaking to their distinct
racial and cultural heritage.
This anthology helps correct that balance and presents a unique offering
of plays written for multicultural teenagers by diverse authors who have
spent a significant part of their careers working closely with young
people in urban settings. The playwrights - among them award winners
such as Chisa Hutchinson and Nilaja Sun - have created texts that are
dramatic and comic, satirical and earnest, touchingly real, and
amusingly surreal.
Varying in length and format, suitable for classrooms and youth groups
of all sizes, the plays address such themes as ethnic and cultural
identity; ancestry and assimilation; bullying and self-empowerment;
disenfranchisement and alienation; parental pressure to over-achieve,
youth activism and community-building; and the very real perils of daily
school life in an era of gun proliferation.
