Apples

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Adapted for stage, Apples is set on a Middlesbrough council estate, this astonishing piece of writing by 23 year old Richard Milward, is an electrifying collision of Irvine Welsh and Virginia Woolf. Streams of poetic, impassioned and often hilarious words pour from five fifteen year olds as they negotiate a world where the adults are absent, drugs are everywhere, sex is desperate and life is both terrifying and thrilling. A dazzling, tragicomic love story of adolescence based on the astonishing debut novel by Richard Milward. Shameless, ruthless and intensely poetic, Apples articulates what it is like to be young. Apples was the winner of the coveted Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The prize is awarded for excellence in the Edinburgh Festival.

Reviews

"Catcher in the Rye meets Arctic Monkeys."--"The Times" "This superb stage version of Richard Millward's debut novel is - like an underage Trainspotting - an upbeat and sometimes even joyous affair that suggests that for all the trials and tribulations of the teenage years, the kids are probably going to be OK."--Lyn Gardner, "The Guardian" "Adaptor and director John Retallack's version works very well. Anyone wanting to understand - or, at any rate, to begin to understand - the pressures young people face in growing up at the bottom of our society's heap should see Apples. But don't expect an enjoyable evening of theatre - moving, illuminating, superbly well done, certainly, but "enjoyable" is definitely not the right word!"--"British Theatre Guide" "A superb stage version of Richard Milward's debut novel... It's a funny-sad, ugly-beautiful night out, nicely performed by its young cast and swirling with the sweaty, dirty poetry of everyday life. 4 stars"--Lyn Gardner, "The Guardian" "A neat, pacey production ... A rollercoaster ride through adolescence in all its frantic, anxious, smeary, glittering glory."--Alice Jones, "The Independent"

Author Bio

JOHN RETALLACK is the artistic director of Company of Angels, and has written and directed a number of plays in recent years. John was formerly director of Oxford Stage Company (1989 - 1999) where his adaptation of Melvyn Burgess' Junk won the TMA Young People's Award in 1998. His Shakespeare productions for Oxford Stage Company toured internationally and won widespread critical acclaim over a period of ten years. He was the founding director of Actors Touring Company (ATC) (1977 - 85). His work has been awarded several prizes, including a SWET award in 1983 and a Herald Angel at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival. Other plays include: COMPANY OF ANGELS: Hannah and Hanna; Virgins; Risk; Club Asylum.