34 pages • 1 hour read
This Is Our Youth
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Background
Authorial Context: Kenneth Lonergan
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use.
Lonergan is an American playwright, director, and screenwriter. He was born in 1962 and grew up during the mid-20th century and the height of cultural change in the US. Lonergan writes stories that feature complex characters, simplistic settings, and plotlines that are tied to the events of their time. Lonergan wrote his first play, The Rennings Children, in 1982 while he was still in university. He followed with off-Broadway success with This Is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery, and Lobby Hero. Each was eventually revived on Broadway, and This Is Our Youth received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
Lonergan is also involved in film and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Manchester by the Sea. He also co-wrote Gangs of New York. Lonergan’s work spans decades and eras. His inspiration for This Is Our Youth came from his own experiences growing up in the early 1980s, and how he felt unsure of the future trajectory of his life. Like the characters in the play, Lonergan was born to an affluent family in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and was expected to become a financial success.
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