Heavy Weather, by Lizzie Nunnery

Heavy Weather focuses on sixteen year-old Mona, an outsider and a visionary. Mona lives with her older sister Elin but is searching for their mother, Lucinda. She thinks she sees her on an online post from a protest and she sets off to find her. On the way Mona meets a range of characters that we want to help her but only serve to hinder her progress on her mission to find Lucinda. Mona finds her mum at the protest but it's not the reunion Mona desires and Lucinda rejects her again. Mona returns to Elin who she recognises is her mum in all the important ways.

Heavy Weather is a great choice for GCSE and A level students. A performance of the whole play offers a range of roles and many students could be involved, with an ensemble as different characters in different scenes.

For study it offers some engaging monologues and duologues and the use of the ensemble can be explored in many ways. Heavy Weather feels very Brechtian, using characters with titles such as Guru, Influencer and Storyteller rather than named characters; and scene titles such as ‘Stop’, ‘Still’, ‘Frozen’, ‘Mona and the Safe Space’ and ‘What's stopping us?’

In addition, the ensemble is really exciting in this play, a group that can change and morph with each scene. They can be on stage throughout, representing different groups such as the people on the bus on the way to and at the protest, members of the Guru's meditation circle, and also always observing as the eyes of the internet. These devices would be excellent for exploration at GCSE and A Level.

The character of Mona is someone that we empathise with and can relate to; a young adult who wants to be part of the change but is struggling with the difficulties in her life as well as the wider issues of climate change and social media.