Wonder Boy by Ross Willis

I remember the time, two years ago, as the world slid into the first Covid lockdown and schools closed alongside theatres, it started to dawn on the drama teaching community that not only were we in this for the long haul, but that when things started up again we were going to be craving brilliant new theatre. Ross Willis’ glorious new play Wonder Boy is that play; a wholly original voice and a script which is ripe for discovery in the classroom.

The play itself, recently staged at Bristol Old Vic in a production by Sally Cookson, gives us the heart-breaking and heroic protagonist Sonny. He's twelve and an entirely typical boy on the verge of adolescence, apart from having a stammer. Words, vowels, language – it's all a terrifying prospect for Sonny and the situation only becomes more frightening when imposing headteacher Miss Wainwright casts Sonny in the school production of Hamlet. So far so good, but where the play really expands is in the meta world where Sonny creates his very own superhero (Captain Chatter) to help with his stammer.