This new Student Edition of Dennis Kelly's popular play DNA contains introductory commentary and notes by Clare Finburgh Delijani, which gives an in-depth analysis of the play's context and themes.

As well as the complete text of the play, this new Methuen Drama Student Edition includes:

· An introduction to the playwright and social context of the play
· Discussion of the context, themes, characters and dramatic form
· Overview of staging and performance history of the play
· Bibliography of suggested primary and secondary materials for further study.
Dennis Kelly's play DNA centres on friendship, morality and responsibility in odd circumstances. When a group of young friends are faced with a terrible accident, they deliberately make the wrong choices to cover it up and find themselves in an unusually binding friendship where no one will own up to what they've done.

Dennis Kelly's plays include Debris, Osama the Hero, After the End, Love and Money, Taking Care of Baby, DNA, The Gods Weep, Orphans, The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas and Girls and Boys. For television he created/cocreated Pulling, Utopia and The Third Day. He also wrote the book for Matilda the Musical.

Chronology

COMMENTARY

PLAYWRIGHT AND SOCIAL CONTEXT
CONTEXTS AND THEMES
1. Children
2. Violence
3. Torture and Human Rights Abuse
4. The Individual and the Community
CHARACTERS
1. Phil, bullying and domination;
2. Brian and the refusal to be complicit in abuse;
3. Adam, victimisation and survival;
4. Leah and feminist non-violence.
DRAMATIC FORM
1. The Timeless and the Everyday
2. Poetry of the Everyday
STAGING DNA
1. Genre
2. Scenography
3. Time
PRODUCTION HISTORY
PLAY TEXT
FURTHER READING AND VIEWING