I rarely get to read plays with teenage female characters at their heart and even more rarely are these young Indian sportswomen. Run, Rebel is a great young adult novel, transformed into a compelling, fast-paced play.
The play explores the story of Amber, who is an extremely talented runner, but her emotionally and physically abusive father won't let her be part of the team. Her parents can't speak English, her mother works long hours for very little money, her sister has left the family home, and her father is drinking himself further and further into a rage due to the horrors he faced as a child. Her best friends are leading very different lives to her, permitted freedoms she is entitled to.
There is a mixture of first-person narrative, direct audience address and fast-paced ensemble scenes with cross-cutting. There are a lot of opportunities for a cast of young performers to use their creativity in interpreting the text and deciding how it could be performed. It could be a brilliant middle school show if you had a strong female lead to take on the role.
Run, Rebel explores themes of revolution and rebellion, as well as shedding light on domestic abuse and depravity. Amber's mother manages to leave her husband, Harbans, at the end of the play and makes a new life – not only for Amber, but for herself as well.
There are moments of pity for Harbans because of his challenging personal history, but this is set in direct conflict to the abuse he inflicts on the whole family.
The ending is hopeful, with Amber beginning to take control of her life and make her own choices for the first time. ‘Finally, peace,’ she says. ‘We did it. We rebelled and we won.’
In this copy published by Nick Hern Books, there are a range of helpful educational resources, not only for Drama teachers, but for those teaching the text as part of English and PSHE as well. There is a full synopsis, ideas on how to explore the themes in the text and a range of activities you could try in a classroom setting.
Run, Rebel is a fresh, challenging and original text that is inspiring to read and, you’d imagine, even more compelling to watch.