These Youths Be Protesting
In the final moments of writer/director Izabella Louk’s These Youths Be Protesting, a comedy about the chaos of youth and of climate change premiering at KXT on Broadway, Mây Trần’s Mandi explodes into a rage-filled monologue. All of the anger and fear that’s been bubbling inside of her comes pouring out. Her rage towards those in power who continue to deny that climate change is a direct result of their actions. Rage towards complicity and apathy. Rage towards a future that is uncertain, as climate disasters grow more catastrophic by the year. It’s here we feel the urgency of Louk’s message, echoing the voices of a generation who will inherit a world that is hurtling towards catastrophe.
A finalist for the 2024 Martin Lysicrates Prize, These Youths describes itself as part Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, part Don’t Look Up. Blinking Light Theatre, an indie company whose ethos revolves around creating environmentally sustainable theatre, hands the megaphone to the youth for an exploration of climate activism and the importance of finding your voice.
After a visit at a school fundraiser from local (fictional) politician Greg Moresby, the students of Sunlake Downs High School’s Recycling Club are presented with a giant novelty cheque, with the event being posted directly to Instagram (#campaigntrail). It’s not until they discover that Moresby has just approved a new mine to be built in “the only nice place in town” and a favourite local hang-out spot – The Dunes – that they...