When They Go Low

When social media goes into a frenzy over pictures of a girl at a party, Louise's teacher lectures all the schoolgirls on taking more responsibility for their actions. Enraged that it's them getting reprimanded – and not the boys who took the pictures – Louise wages war on the school's systemic misogyny.

But when she threatens popular boy Scott, risking his claim to the School Captain title, things escalate horribly; a website appears, objectifying the girls and shaming them for their actions.

Natalie Mitchell's play When They Go Low explores everyday feminism, consent and the changing face of teenage sexuality in an online world. Is it always true that 'when they go low', we should go high?

Written specifically for young people, the play formed part of the 2018 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK. It offers rich opportunities for a large cast of all genders, with particularly strong roles for young women.

Note for Performers: When They Go Low includes a substantial amount of dialogue to be performed by a chorus. These lines are not attributed to specific individuals, and can be performed by the main cast, or by an additional chorus of between 4 and 40 performers.