Following the pattern of his notably successful Juvie, which deals with young adult crime; Addict, about the causes and tragic results of alcohol and drug use by young adults; and Dolls, a poignant drama about teenage sexuality and pregnancy, Turners focuses attention on the hopelessness of young adults trapped in the iron cage of their ghetto environment. A group of students where the droptout rate is high and the achievements of those who do graduate is low, band together to beat the odds by trying something new—studying, with the determination that they will succeed. Does it work?

From the author: Turner High is any school which is viewed as one of the "other" schools as opposed to one of the "better" schools. Its students and administrators and teachers have heard this description so often that they even believe it themselves.

Turners is about succeeding when everybody expects you to fail. It's about hanging in there, about finding, then standing by, your principles. It's about turning around instead of lying down.

Turners is an ensemble show, but not in the same sense as other McDonough ensemble plays. Actors keep the same roles throughout. Parts are fairly well balanced, however, and there are no star vehicles. Working together is the style and the substance of the play.

Turners is also an intimate theatre piece. An environmental, arena, or thrust approach will optimize the closeness between performers and audience. Viewers, particularly in a real school setting, should feel as much a part of the action as possible. A large schoolroom might be the ideal space. (Cafeterias, study halls, and small gyms come to mind.) Everyone attending the play is, by extension, in Ms. Tillman's Home Base class. Suggestions include involving the audience as students.

Two acts; Set, Home Base classroom at Edgar Turner High School; Time, present.

"This is a superior realistic portrayal of rough teenagers whose support for each other pays off."—Plays for Children and Young Adults.

Other McDonough Young Adult plays: Alky, Blues, Carriers, 'Hoods, Splits, Users

See also: Awareness Plays for Young Adults and Social Issues