Decky Does A Bronco
By (Author) Douglas Maxwell
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Oberon Books Ltd
31st May 2001
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
822.92
Paperback
64
Width 130mm, Height 210mm
Decky Does a Bronco is the tragi-comic story of a gang of nine-year-old boys who spend the summer of 1983 'Broncoing swings' in Girvan, on the west coast of Scotland. Broncoing (kicking the swing over the bar) is the social bench mark and a dangerous mixture of vandalism and sport. Decky is the smallest of the group and the only one who cannot Bronco. His friend David remembers the event of that summer, which at first seem hilarious but ultimately remain painful, as the boys are faced with an unthinkable tragedy and are thrown into a restless adulthood.
A funny, wise and sad evocation of childhood that knows what poor Peter Pan fails to understand: that the only alternative to not growing up is dying young. * 4 stars. Lyn Gardner, The Guardian *
The sheer force and depth of Maxwell's study of an end of childhood, and an abrupt loss of innocence, brings tears to the eyes. * The Scotsman *
Douglas Maxwell was born in 1974 in Girvan, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. His many plays include Decky Does a Bronco, Helmet, Mancub, The Mother Ship and Promises Promises, all of which are published by Oberon Books. The Mother Ship won the Brian Way Award for Best Play forYoung People 2009. Decky Does A Bronco was first performed in 2000 by Gridiron Theatre Co winning a Fringe First, The Stage Award and nominated for The Barclay Card Stage Award 2001 for Best Touring Production. Our Bad Magnet was Douglas Maxwell's debut play and was staged at the Tron Theatre Glasgow in 2000 and then revived in 2001 as a co-production with Borderline. The revival played The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh during the festival and then embarked on a large scale tour of Scotland.