RATED 'M' FOR MATURE

Coyote REP is very excited about the work we are showcasing in or Works-in-Development Series at ART/NY and The Barrow Group Theater. We asked our company playwrights to share more about the pieces they are featuring for the month long May event.

RATED M FOR MATURE by Greg Ayers
Sunday May 9th 7pm Bruce Mitchell Room
ART/NY
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
(between 36th and 37th Streets)
New York, NY 10018
($5 suggested donation)


Let me make one thing clear: I love video games. I always have. I can still spend an entire weekend playing any one of the Final Fantasy games. Videogames will always occupy a special place in my heart because I grew up on them. Some of my earlier memories include playing Jungle Hunt and Joust on the Atari 2600. Back when I was in elementary school, owning a specific game could be viewed as a status symbol. I remember being the first of my friends to own Super Mario Bros 2. I suddenly had people begging, yes, begging me to let them come over and play the game. And, I admit, I may have taken advantage of my new position of power by demanding that everyone share their fruit rollups with me in exchange for 10 minutes of game play. So what if I was drunk with power? I was ten. And I was having fun. And for me, that’s what videogames are all about: having fun. Entertainment. But somewhere along the way, for some people, videogames have become a serious addiction. That’s not so fun.

I suppose there are a few reasons I decided to write Rated M for Mature. The first being, I had recently read an article about a teenage boy who shot both his parents in the head because they’d taken away his favorite videogame. And then, a while later, I heard about a couple in China who were so wrapped up in creating a second life for themselves in an online game that they neglected to feed their newborn baby, which ended up starving to death. Clearly, these are two example of love for videogames gone wrong.

Another reason I was inspired to write this play is because I find teenagers to be some of the most fascinating and exciting people out there. I can vividly recall the pain that shaped my teenage years. The pressure. The bullying. The frustration. The anger. But I’m now at an age where, although I can still empathize with the plight of teenagers, I also feel a tinge of fear whenever I see a group of them

on a subway platform. I feel disconnected from them. And at times, I feel intimidated. I mean, do they really need to talk that loud? Really??

Rated M for Mature is a play about all of the above. The confusion and disconnect some parents feel towards their children. The pain and frustrations of being a teenager. And the need to escape life by immersing one’s self into an online fantasy world.

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Greg Ayers co-wrote and starred in John and Greg's High School Reunion, which premiered at last year's New York International Fringe Festival. As an actor, some of his favorite credits include Small Tragedy at the Aurora Theater, HOLES at the Orpheum Theater, and The Lion in Winter at PCPA Theaterfest. Greg is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts

The New Play Development Program is our commitment to nurturing the original work of our company's playwrights. This intensive, ten-month program provides a structured series of workshops culminating in our May Works-in-Development Series, a public presentation of readings