The IT (NHB Modern Plays)

A teenage girl has something growing inside her. She doesn't know what it is, but she knows it's not a baby. It expands. It has claws. Eventually it takes over the entirety of her body.

No one must know about it. She has to keep its presence, its possession of her, concealed. She pulls away from her friends. She refuses to speak, in case 'The IT' is heard. But she can't contain it forever. Sooner or later something's got to give...

Presented in the style of a direct-address documentary, Vivienne Franzmann's The IT is a darkly comic state-of-the-nation play exploring adolescent mental health and the rage within.

Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2021 National Theatre Connections Festivals and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers opportunities for a large, flexible cast of any size and mix of genders.

'The standout text [of the Connections festival] for character development, plot and vivid use of language and imagery... perfect for the age of information with an exciting, darkly enticing pace' - Red Pepper magazine

Auteur

Vivienne Franzmann was a teacher who took up playwriting after winning the Bruntwood Playwriting award in 2008 with her first play, Mogadishu, which also won the 2010 George Devine Award and was first staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2011.

Other plays include: The IT (National Theatre Connections festival, 2020); Bodies (Royal Court Theatre, London, 2017); Pests (Royal Court, Royal Exchange Manchester and Clean Break, 2014); and The Witness (Royal Court, 2012).

She has written for Channel 4, BBC 1, Radio 4 and Radio 3. In 2014, she was awarded a BAFTA for her short film for children, Lizard Girl.