This Is Our Youth

This Is Our Youth is a theatrical play of the realistic fiction genre, written by Kenneth Lonergan. It originally premiered in 1996 off-Broadway. It takes place in the US in 1982, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and centers around the lives of privileged youth who lack direction and fear The Disillusionment of Adulthood. Lonergan was inspired by his own experiences of listlessness and feeling lost in his youth in the early 1980s, as well as The Pointless Pursuit of Materialism that was prominent during the era. Lonergan’s characters learn that Letting Go of the Past is a crucial step in the process of growing up and that there is little they can do to resist it. 

A production of This Is Our Youth received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2015, and actor Mark Ruffalo appeared in its original production. Since then, many other famous actors have performed in or directed productions of the play.

This guide utilizes the 2000 Overlook Press edition of the script.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of sexual content and substance use.

Plot Summary

The play opens in 21-year-old Dennis Ziegler’s apartment in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan.