backstroke boys by Xavier Clark

backstroke boys is a coming of age story that deals with the intersection of race, religion and sexuality. The play chronicles both the pain and joys of coming to terms with one's various social identities at a young age and how those identities work in tangent with one another to make someone full. On his first day of swim practice at a brand new high school, and country, Quentin befriends Zia, the...
backstroke boys is a coming of age story that deals with the intersection of race, religion and sexuality. The play chronicles both the pain and joys of coming to terms with one's various social identities at a young age and how those identities work in tangent with one another to make someone full. On his first day of swim practice at a brand new high school, and country, Quentin befriends Zia, the captain of the swim team, and through their growing relationship they open up a whole can of worms. How can you hold on to your faith when your faith is showing grace and acceptance towards everything else but your own self?
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backstroke boys

Recommended by

  • Mak Shealy:
    11 Aug. 2023
    “ One of my favorite plays to date! The characters are razor sharp and full of complicated humanity. The poetic exploration of identity that Clark has infused into this story is both a sucker punch and a salve. I can't wait to see this play onstage! Highly recommend! ”
  • Premiere Stages:
    5 May. 2023
    “ Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “backstroke boys” by Xavier Clark as a Semi-Finalist for the 2023 Premiere Play Festival. “backstroke boys” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 40 Semi-Finalists out of 701 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the rich, layered exploration of identity in the two central characters, as well as the fluid structure and tone of the play. Our congratulations and thanks to Xavier. ”
  • Playwrights Foundation:
    4 Apr. 2023
    “ The community of National Committee readers for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced BACKSTROKE BOYS as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We were highly engaged by this story of exploring one's identity in the boys' safe space of a high school pool, coming into conflict with faith traditions and Americanization. The dialogue which was natural, compelling and tender and the moments of silence and movement built great tension and there are exciting possibilities for staging. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production. #BAPF46
    ”
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Character Information

  • QUENTIN
    17,
    African / African American / Black; Middle Eastern;
    ,
    a cis Male
    half Turkish half West African, new to the school. MUST BE COMFORTABLE WITH SPEAKING TURKISH.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • ZIA
    17,
    Middle Eastern
    ,
    a cis Male
    Syrian-American, swim team captain.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • AYSE
    38,
    Turkish
    ,
    a cis Female
    Turkish, Quentin’s mother and a practicing Muslim

    *the actor playing Ayse must be fluent in Turkish and of Middle Eastern decent.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

Production History

Awards

Finalist
,
PlayGroup
,
Ars Nova
,
2023
Semi-Finalist
,
Playwrights Conference
,
Seven Devils Foundry
,
2021
Finalist
,
Queer Playwriting Contest
,
Theatre Viscera
,
2019