Summary Of The Play 'After January'

INTRO
Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tuyet Ngo and I am a producer, from one of the well-known movie creators, Washington Producers and I am here today to plead my case as to why I believe you should compose ‘After January’ into the next best-selling motion picture.. ‘After January’, adapted by Phillip Dean written by Nick Earls has created a play for people of all ages. It is a story about what happens when someone stops waiting for life to happen and begins instead to live it. It contains the typical adolescents of today, family, school and teenage troubles of the everyday world. Through the examination of the plot, characters, setting, themes and style, this play is much relevant to the young people of Australia today. I
believe, after having an overview of my presentation, I guarantee that u will be enticed to come to an agreement, that this novel could become one of the greatest films, based on the adaptation of the play.

PLOT
Firstly, one of the key factors in ‘After January’ being suitable for a teenage audience is the plot, as it deals with the subject matter that many young adults can identify. The novel mainly revolves around the life of a typical teenage boy, who has just graduated high school and is now on holidays at the beach, awaiting his tertiary offer. This resonates with many teens who will often find themselves in the same position. In addition, the usual teenage holiday lifestyle activities would include swimming, sleeping or going to the library. As perceived in the play, the main character’s holiday lifestyle can help the adolescent relate to the events in the novel. Moreover, the plot also contains elements of romance, developing relationships and intimacy, drinking, becoming more independent and dealing with emotional issues. Without doubt, the young people of today can certainly associate with this matter, as it is commonly experienced by teens in our culture.

THEMES
The play explores a variety of themes that many young people are familiar with, associated in the adolescence. Throughout the novel, the teenage characters deal with love, change, teenage sexuality and identity, family, future and even the environment. Perhaps the central theme in the story is of the changing circumstances and feelings, altering a young person’s life. In Alex’s case, his life changes within the few weeks of summer; meeting a new girl, developing love in a relationship, maturing and becoming independent. By Alex maturing and learning independency, he is able to focus on the more important things in life, just as a typical teenager would develop during their formative years. Also, having to make important decisions is another significance. For example, when Alex finally discovers that he has received his tertiary offer, he had to come to decision to leave Caloundra and his existing relationship, to return to Brisbane. Most viewers watching this movie could easily relate their lives to these issues, as it is very common for adolescents, to make critical decisions that will become turning points in their lives.

CHARACTERS
The teenage characters in the play reflect the different types of personalities there are in the lives and world of real teens. The two main characters of the novel are Alex and Fortuna. Teenager, Alex Delaney is the central figure and is imperative to the overall development of the story. In the time waiting, Alex fights to overcome his anxiety, starts a relationship with a girl and improves his confidence. This is applicable to the youth viewers, as most young adults have issues with self-confidence and not feeling adequate. At the beginning of the novel, Alex describes himself as having “a body shape not often desirable” and believes himself to be almost incapable of finding a girlfriend. However, meeting Fortuna changes his whole view showing that confidence comes from the inside. Another indication of relevance, points to the way Alex eludes to the idea that he must go to university to be something, or to have meaning in society. Waiting for a tertiary offer is a course of action that the majority of teens undertake; however, it is a very painful progression, which Nick Earls uses to help young people to correlate with Alex.

Here, we also have Fortuna.
The typical tanned, beach girl, which from the appearance, this character immediately draws the attention of the audience. Fortuna is a very interesting and relevant character in ‘After January’. She is individual, elusive and confident, with a close relationship to her family, revealing the limited social life, giving an insight into a different way of life. She has also just finished schooling, although with no intension for further education; the perfect exemplar for those who are not so academically inclined. When Fortuna and Alex meet, they seem to be very different, however they soon to fall in love. Not only do they have to deal with their new emotions, but also with their interesting families. As Alex’s mother, Tessa is a classic overprotective mother, where Alex suffers from her overly prying nature as many teens do. Where as Fortuna’s parents, Cliff and Gail, are somewhat more relaxed than Tessa but are still concerned when their child becomes involved in a relationship. Although the differing of the characters can be seen, the importance of love and care are obvious in the development of a teen’s
life.

SETTING
Next, we have the setting of the play, which is positively fitting for the teenage audience.
The fact that the play is set in Caloundra on the Christmas holidays, is a factor, which makes this novel relevant for many Australian teens. Particularly during the summer vacation, most teens will spend their time holidaying at the beach or coastal town, in a similar fashion to the way Alex and Fortuna did in the novel. Most of the young people would have also experienced the relaxed environment of a coastal holiday, either watching cricket or heading to the beach. All with the direct relevance to today’s adolescence gives this film an advantage to connect with the young people of today.

STYLE
Finally, the author’s style and use of language is also suitable for a teen audience. Philip Dean has made the play brief and has focused on the important elements of the novel. The script is written with little description, leaving most of the story, left to the audience’s imagination. This makes it easier for teens, as it channels them to focus less on the details of the play. The language used is relatively simple, which is also easy to comprehend. There is little swearing involved, however the teens portrayed in the story are much more upper class and are unlikely to overuse swear words.
CONCLUSION
As you have witnessed, ‘After January’ is a play whose characters, themes, plot, setting and style, all contribute to its relevance and impact on the youth of today. It deals with many difficult issues for teenagers, such as anxiety, love, romance and critical decision-making, which Nick Earls has helped position the viewer with relatable characters and storylines. I am certain that creating and producing this novel adapted play into a film, shall begin your ultimate success path towards the next movie blockbuster; not only making this one of the highlights of your production, but also appealing to the great adolescent audience, as this is clearly a novel written for the young people of Australia today. I hope you enjoyed. Thank you all for your attendance and with anticipation, I look forward on meeting you again.