Fourteen – From the Author

Based on the best-selling memoir by award-winning journalist Shannon Molloy, Fourteen is the inspirational true story of growing up gay in central Queensland, transformed into a powerful must-see theatre production by nationally acclaimed shake & stir theatre co. Read on to hear Shannon’s reflections on the process of adapting his book for the stage.

I’m watching myself on a screen, only he’s 20-something years younger. He’s a scared teenager, recounting the moment an older student – a boarder from a cattle property out west – tried to sexually assault him behind the school library. That’s where half a dozen kids would sneak to smoke at lunchtime. On this afternoon, it’s just teenage Shannon Molloy: the stick-thin and pasty ‘poofter’ who everyone knows and loathes, and the burly cowboy. Beneath the brutal central Queensland heat, the menacing older boy makes his move. Conor Leach plays out that story, part of my story, in his audition to play the role of 14-year-old me in this stage production. I’m watching a video of it from my couch in Sydney, where life is vastly different. I’m married with a child, 15-plus years into a successful career, and have had a life of happiness and joy and adventure. But Conor’s gentle mannerism, that soft voice, his welling eyes… I’m suddenly transported back to Yeppoon and the year 1999. It’s not the first time I’m dragged from the present moment into my dark and distant past, and it won’t be the last.

For several months, I’m part of the surreal process of adapting my book for the stage, from an initial conversation to an idea and through to the thrilling end result. It’s 18 months or so since Ross Balbuziente, Nick Skubij and Nelle Lee reached out and kicked off this once-in-a-lifetime journey. They’ve treated my story with such care and consideration, involving me in every step of the fascinating process, genuinely eager for my input and ideas. I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m just thrilled to have a seat at the table as we turn a 320-page paperback into a 90-minute stage show. There are many conversations – those had over wine as we paint broad brushstrokes of a story, and those held huddled over a laptop as we pull apart and put back together draft script after draft script. We discuss staging, costumes, lighting, the marrying of multiple cheesy late 90s pop songs, character development, story arcs, marketing, choreography and more. I meet the cast. I meet more of the creative team. I feel a joyous professional connectedness that I haven’t felt in a long time. It feels like this is exactly where I’m meant to be.

Each beautiful and incredible milestone feels unreal to me. On sale date, extending the season, the media interest, the excitement of the 2022 Brisbane Festival organisers, the energy of the cast, the emotional first table read, rehearsals… it’s a whirlwind that I hope never ends. Watching my story come to life on stage in a theatre surrounded by 300-odd people is an incredibly moving and utterly unbelievable experience. I laugh. I dance in my seat. I cry. I mourn the adolescence robbed from me and so many other queer kids, but my heart swells with hope because my story is a reminder that it does get better and despite appearances at times, there is kindness in the world.

The almost four-week run in 2022 is one of my life’s greatest honours. And it’s a sell-out smash hit. More than six thousand people come to see this thing of beauty, so full of heart, that a brilliant and talented team has so carefully put together. I mourn the experience when it’s over. It’s like breaking up with your true love, when neither of you especially wants to. So, imagine my joy when news arrives less than 18 months later that the band is getting back together. We’re hitting the road! Now, as I write this, we’re preparing to embark on a several month, 20-stop national tour to take Fourteen to Australia. We’re hitting some of the grandest stages in the biggest cities, but we’re also taking it to the regions. That means so much to me. My story was born in a small town, after all. How many marvellous moments of luck can one person experience in a lifetime? My book was a beautiful accident, the combination of good fortune and impeccable timing. It being adapted for the stage was another momentous thing that probably wasn’t meant to happen. And now, my third miracle, is that thousands more people will see Fourteen on stage. Someone pinch me. I must be dreaming.

Shannon Molloy – Author