"Shopping and Fucking" by Mark Ravenhill

Mark Ravenhill was born June 7, 1966.  He grew up in West Sussex, England and cultivated an interest in theatre early in life, putting on plays with his brother when they were young. He studied English and Drama at Bristol University from 1984–1987, and held down jobs as a freelance director, workshop leader and drama teacher.

In 1997, Ravenhill became the literary director of a new writing company, Paines Plough. In 2003, when Nicholas Hytner took over as artistic director of the National Theatre, Ravenhill was brought in as part of his advisory team. In the mid-nineties, Ravenhill was diagnosed as HIV+, his partner of the early 1990s having died from AIDS.

In his early writing career, Ravenhill’s writing style was focused mostly on the diversity of human sexuality.  His plays were usually black comedies that had gay men as the main characters.   In November 2007, however, he announced that he would be focusing on heterosexual characters.

In 2008 the Royal Court, The Gate Theatre, the National Theatre, Out of Joint, and Paines Plough collectively presented the seventeen short plays Ravenhill wrote for the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe under the title Ravenhill for Breakfast, which was retitled as Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat. In 2009 Mark Ravenhill presented a staged reading of transcripts of conversations with actor, drag queen and equal rights activist Bette Bourne A Life In Three Acts at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in 2009, and at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn NY as well as the Soho Theatre in London in 2010.  Ravenhill is a regular contributor to the annual Terror Season at the Southwark Playhouse in London.

Ravenhill was appointed Associate Director of London's Little Opera House at The King's Head Theatre in September 2010. He played an active role in the venue's relaunch as London's third Opera House. In 2012, Ravenhill became the Royal Shakespeare Company's Writer in Residence.  The same year, he was commissioned by the London Gay Men's Chorus for a piece to mark the choir's 21st anniversary.

 

Shopping and Fucking was Mark Ravenhill’s first full length play written in 1995.  It’s first reading was at Finborough Theatre in London 1995.  It premiered in 1996 at the Royal Court Upstairs in London’s West End.  After its premier the production went on a national and international tour produced by Out of Joint and Royal Court. When it premiered, the play got mixed reviews.  Some were shocked by the sexual violence.  Other critics were drawn to the black humor of the play.  This play, along with Sarah Kane’s Blasted is considered the poster children for In-Yer-Face Theatre.

The Story focuses on Mark, a recovering drug addict who is struggling with trying to find out if feelings exist that aren’t drug induced.  He is also struggling with being emotionally dependent with his lovers, Robbie and Lulu.  Robbie and Lulu are in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong.  They have agreed to sell ecstasy but Robbie has broken the only rule of selling drugs.  Do not do the drugs you are selling.  Then later he gives the drugs away at a rave and now the supplier is after them both.  To try and curb his dependence on his emotions, Mark has sought out a sexual transaction.  He meets Gary, an underage prostitute who has been sexually abused by his step-father causing him to be aroused by violent acts of sex. 

This play touches on many social issues like drug abuse, rape, and mental illness. 

1.       Do you think Mark’s reasoning behind his emotional detachment from Robbie and Lulu is justified?

2.      In what ways does Shopping and Fucking incorporate Marxist philosophies?

3.      What happens when Mark starts performing a certain sexual act to Gary?

 

(This post was by Brady Lewis)