Rodeo clown Gil can be played by either sex, or even shared by several
actors
A spurboard is a solid wooden structure on which bareback riders train; it can
train muscles and judgment, but it doesn't buck like a real bronc. Four young
people in a rural town in western NSW mount the spurboard as they face the
end of school and challenge of choosing a path in life. For Mitchell, high
school dropout and skilled rider, it's the thrills and spills of the weekend rodeo
circuit; for his high-achieving brother Greg, it's the night sky seen through his
grandfather's telescope. For Mitchell's girlfriend Amy, it's a job in her mother's
beauty salon as she commits herself to Mitchell for better or worse; for Amy's
best friend Karen, it's flight from an abusive and uncaring family to the Police
Academy and a rookie posting in the Big Smoke.
This play was commissioned by Australian Theatre For Young People, and
has since been produced by drama schools and community youth theatres. It
can be performed by a large ensemble cast in a number of combinations.
Published Currency Press 2001
