Too much punch for judy - Mark Wheeller

[m66]

Does anyone have any views on the above short play ?
Section 1 being A Night on The Piss!
My 14 yr old daughter has brought it home from drama class and I personally think it is extremely inappropriate. Not only crude and distasteful but sexist and disrespectful towards women.
Our society is trying to change youth behaviour yet this seems to be teaching the opposite as the norm.

I have not read the play myself but Mr Wheeler is a member of another forum I visit. it is a play used a lot in secondary schools, is very highly regarded and contains a very important message.

I will invite him over here to comment if you like.

i think i watched this play at school as a teenager, the message was to do with drink driving and was very good if its the same play

having googled and it is the same play - it was fantastic and even more poignant is my school as a sixth former died after being hit by a drunk driver.

Too Much Punch for Judy is one of the most performed plays ever, having toured schools, colleges, prisons, army camps and the workplace, both here and abroad.

A hard hitting Documentary Play telling the true life story of a young girl who kills her sister in a drink/drive related incident. Ten years later she went on to be responsible for another death in a road accident where she was not only drunk but had cannabis in her bloodstream. This is a new, updated script.

"Packs its anti-drink drive message with the kick of a mule ... but that doesn't stop it from being excellent drama!"
Sue Wilkinson; Southern Evening Echo."The audience I sat in was patently out for some whooping Friday night fun watching their mates on stage. At the end there was a horrid silence."

Nick Baker; Times Educational Supplement.

My name is "Olav". I watched your play in Hamar a while ago. When I was 18-21 years old I used drugs when I was driving. I drove off the road sometimes, but my friends and I never got hurt. I think your play makes people think a bit. I did. It was very emotional for me. Your play made me think back to my accidents and what I would have done if I killed some of my friends, and that made me sad. I hope many people see your play and learn from it.

I understand the issues and outcomes but think that is is more for sixthform than year 10 children. It is reinforcing provacative dressing going together with alcohol is the norm. Children at this age should be taught to respect themselves and others and not have girls looking 'easy' and boys 'out on the pull'.Body image is being highlighted as a way to 'temp a man'?

Also watching the play is totally different than acting it out and dissecting its meanings. I would not like to witness my 14yr old doing the following per script:

Judy: shower
Jo: rub down ( as they slide a mimed towel sugestively between their legs)

It is a suggested set play for GCSE.

I would not see that mime as suggestive myself. of course teenage girls can make anything seem suggestive if they want to.

we performed both Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet in drama at school, both contain strong imagery and quiet complex meanings - should these be banned?

I remember from watching this play the strong emotions involved, the way the policeman (who was a family friend) had to let both Judy and her parents know that her sister had been killed, its a very simple yet hard hitting play. The message being don't drink and drive it wrecks lives. i think 14/15 is an ideal age to be sending out this message, just as teenagers are beginning to drink (lets not kid ourselves that they don't touch a drop until 18) then prehaps once they can drive the message is firmly instilled in them.

m66 as i recall the girls were dressing up to go for a night out clubbing - not necessarily dressing provocatively, also this really isn't what the play is about.

The suggestive remark is actually in brackets in the script.

My daughter has only the section1 part where the girls are at aerobics then going to the pub not the full play so that is why i see it out of context.

I just think that parents should have been informed that there would be suggestive and rather adult language and actions in the forthcoming drama work.

The play is about effects of drink and driving but this excerpt on its own is giving off different primary views.