AustLit logo
Fourteen single work   drama   - 1 hour and 40 min
Adaptation of Fourteen Shannon Molloy , 2020 single work autobiography
Issue Details: First known date: 2022... 2022 Fourteen
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The year is 1999 and Shannon has a secret

'Shannon Molloy is a year 9 student at an all-boys rugby-mad Catholic school in regional Queensland, with a secret that no one can ever find out. Shannon is gay.

'Based on the best-selling memoir by award-winning journalist Shannon Molloy, Fourteen is the inspirational true story of growing up gay in central Queensland, transformed into a powerful must-see theatre production by nationally acclaimed shake & stir theatre co.

'Set to a nostalgic mixtape of 90s bangers from all your faves, from Shania Twain to The Spice Girls, Fourteen addresses the trials and tribulations of growing up with honesty, humour and heart. Equal parts uplifting and heart-wrenching, we follow Shannon in a year of self-discovery set amidst a backdrop of torment, bullying and betrayal – not just at the hands of his peers, but by the adults who were meant to protect him.

'This moving coming-of-age memoir about adversity and tragedy is also a story of resilience, hope and hilarity – thanks to the love of a group of close-knit friends, a fiercely protective family, an extraordinary mother and... S Club 7. So press play on your discman, lose yourself in a pumping 90s pop remix and take a technicoloured trip back to your teens. This is Fourteen.' (Production summary)

Production Details

  • Presented by shake & stir theatre co, QPAC and Brisbane Festival. Performed at Cremorne Theatre : August 27-September 17 2022.

    Director: Nick Skubij.

    Creative Producer: Ross Balbuziente.

    Set Designer: Josh McIntosh.

    Costume Designer: Fabian Holford.

    Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest.

    Sound Designer: Guy Webster.

    Choreographer: Dan Venz.

    Intimacy Director: Michelle Miall.

    Fight Director: Tim Dashwood.

    Cast: Johnny Balbuziente, Mitchell Bourke, Leon Cain, Helen Cassidy, Karen Crone, Amy Ingram, and Conor Leach (Shannon Molloy).

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Shannon Molloy’s Harrowing Memoir Takes the Stage : ‘There’s power in sharing really dark stories’ Brigid Delaney , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 27 August 2022;

— Review of Fourteen Shannon Molloy , Nelle Lee , Nick Skubij , 2022 single work drama
Meeting the (Gay) 14-year-old Me Shannon Molloy , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 20 August 2022; (p. 4)

'SHANNON MOLLOY wrote a memoir about being bullied as a teenager in central Queensland. He tells how the adaptation of his story for the stage is something ‘teenage Shannon’ could only imagine' (Introduction)

Shannon Molloy’s Harrowing Memoir Takes the Stage : ‘There’s power in sharing really dark stories’ Brigid Delaney , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 27 August 2022;

— Review of Fourteen Shannon Molloy , Nelle Lee , Nick Skubij , 2022 single work drama
Meeting the (Gay) 14-year-old Me Shannon Molloy , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 20 August 2022; (p. 4)

'SHANNON MOLLOY wrote a memoir about being bullied as a teenager in central Queensland. He tells how the adaptation of his story for the stage is something ‘teenage Shannon’ could only imagine' (Introduction)

Last amended 12 Sep 2022 11:17:08
X