Prodigal Son is play by John Patrcik Shanley, it was published on Feb 9th 2016 and first performed in

2016 at the Manhattan Theatre Club Off Broadway. Jim Quinn, the main charcater is a refelction of
Shanley at 17 years old. The play follows Jim who is very controversial, but a very talented in poetry
boy ,trying to graduate in a Private school. Due to his rebeliion on the rules at school and his disbelief in
God, Mr Schmitt becomes conflicted wheather Jim Is a star or a disaster? And weather he is worthy of
graduating

It’s very difficult to fit in, in todays society, esspecialy for teenagers. Many teenagers get judged for their
looks, where they come from, their sexualities and I feel like this play would connect with many because
of Jim.

Jim gets noticed for the private school in New Hampshire by Mr Hoffman for his talent in poetry, but
before that he was kicked out from a public school. Jim is a character who wants to be free, he’s not
afraid to speak his mind and wants to experience his teenage years like teenagers should. He has
dreams of being famous and going out for drinks, and he tries hard to work for it but He feels silenced in
Mr Scmitts school.

War is a huge topic today. There is war going on Between Russia and Ukrane, there is war in Isreal, there
are protests and riots going on all over the world. Prodigal Son is set in 1960’s, Jims brother is known to
be in the vietnam war. And although it’s not much talked about in the play, as a director I think it would
be important to highlight the theme of war than it is in the original play because it’s affecting the whole
world.--

What challenges Jim throughout the play are views on God. He doesn’t follow the rules in school, he
drinks, steals and swears. During the 1960’s religion was much more strict than it is today, people were
less accepting which Is what the principle, Mr Scmitts represents. Jim attended cathlic school and found
it difficult keep quiet about his views on God. Today society is much more open minded about differen
kinds of beliefs however we still get shocking situations to do with religion. Id like to touch on this topic
to show that religion can be a choice, if you believe in God that’s great, if you don’t that’s also okay. I
think the ,message I'd like to create whiles directing this in terms of religion is that, religion should be
light, if we don’t do it right, if we don’t accpept each other people get hurt.

There is a quote Jim says to Mr Schmitt, ‘Why do I have to listen to you when you have zero to say.
Because I'm young? All my life ive been young so I never get a turn. I think this quote and scene in
general is a pefect example of a teenager standing up for themselves. Younger people are most of the
times expectedd to stand down or be in the wrong, I guess you could say for their lack of experience in
life. But many younger people are also very very smart, the world is changing and younger people are
learning and evolving with it, This would be one of the key points id like to focus on because teenagers
shouldn’t have to feel unheard or unseen just because they’re younger.

Prodigal Son- John Patrick Shanley 1950,october 13th

1967, protests were happening againts the vietnam war

New Hampshire is located in northeastern United States. The total area of the state is
9,304 sq miles (24,097 sq km), comprising 9,027 sq miles (23,380 sq km) of land and
277 sq miles (717 sq km) of inland water.
Prodigal Son is a memory play of dark adolescence. It’s a play about a 17-year-old boy who finds himself
in a private school in New Hampshire. He has a very controversial persona which raises a question. Is he
a star or a disaster?

This story was originally published in 2016 and first performed on the 9th February, 2016.

to overlook the boy’s unexceptional grades and grant him a scholarship, but almost from day
one, the teacher questions his decision. Schmitt asks the head of the English department, Alan
Hoffman (Robert Sean Leonard), to keep an eye on Jim: “He’s the most interesting mess we
have this year.”
While failing some subjects, he aces his English classes, impressing both Alan and the
headmaster’s kind wife, Louise (Annika Boras), with his writing skills. But he keeps sabotaging
his chances of graduating by stealing, drinking, mouthing off and hitting kids who make fun of
his Bronx accent.

New Hampshire in the late 1960s. “It is a true story for the most part,” he reports.
Shanley claims victim status for his younger self, a teenager named Jim Quinn, who is
Irish, poor, and from the Bronx. He’s on scholarship at the school, and doesn’t get along
with the other kids because basically he is just too damned smart and good-looking. His
mediocre grades don’t begin to reflect his brilliance. He’s talking Socrates and Plato, and
everyone else is studying T. S. Eliot, whom Quinn believes will not be read a hundred
years from now.
Quinn actually talks like a 65-year-old playwright who took an adult education course in
the great figures of Western civilization. Teachers tell us he’s a bad kid. He bullies other
students, he steals some records, he likes to get drunk, he’s fixated on the Nazis, he
doesn’t believe in God. Having gone to a Catholic high school in the late 1960s, I can tell
you that the last bit about God would have gotten him into deep trouble back then.
https://www.thewrap.com/prodigal-son-theater-review-john-patrick-shanley-loves-what-he-
sees-in-mirror-of-his-youth/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/john-patrick-shanleys-prodigal-son-
862791/