Millennial Theatre: Speech and Debate

It may be the first true “millennial” play. “Speech and Debate” by Stephen Karam captures the Millennial point of view, right down to text messaging and blogging as important elements of the plot. The story features three earnest, tech savvy high school senior misfits who find each other on the web through a serendipitous convergence of, ahem, interests. They find themselves weirdly entwined and move awkwardly toward a deeper mutual understanding in an ending that surprises us all. The repartee is fast and witty and very 2007. The portrayal of the relationships between the three main characters and their relationships with teachers and reporters, is hilarious and very much in line with how Millennials view Boomers – quaint, clueless and easily to run circles around.

The play debuted late last year off-Broadway in New York and has also been staged in Chicago and on the radio. I heard a production on the radio Saturday night by LA Theatre Works. It is reportedly being produced as a movie. If that is true, I predict it will be bigger than Hamlet 2 and Juno.

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