It is the Grand Finale of the Year 12 Interschool Debating Tournament, and a near-capacity Pip Theatre audience watch on as boys from the elite St Imperium College are in lockdown, preparing their argument that ‘feminism has failed women’. The twist? These boys are played by an entirely female/non-binary cast – and they are about to discover one of them has been anonymously accused of sexual assault.
Trophy Boys by Emmanuelle Mattana offers a fascinating and fearless account about privilege and power, where misogyny masquerades its motivation, even while avowing allyship. Friendships become fragile, with every man for himself, however the patriarchy is perennially protected. The 70-minute duration moves quickly, with script, performances and creative design each multi-layered and gelling well.
Despite a serious theme, there are plenty of laughs in Trophy Boys, largely at the expense of insecure teenage masculinity, elevated with keenly observed characterisation and funny physicality by the energetic ensemble, who make me forget I’m not watching a group of high school aged boys; Credit is due to Gabby Carbon as David, Emily Liu as Owen, Stella Peterson as Scott and Tayla Rankine as Jared, for bringing these characters to multi-faceted life. While on a certain level, this show is a send up of the students’ obnoxiousness and elitist entitlement, the performers each bring dimension to their roles, collectively deeply flawed yet human, with redeeming features like an old boys’ network to call on if all else fails, complete with a prominent lawyer as a father.
While these characters are undoubtedly problematic, they carry their own burdens too. The weight of expectation on their lofty aspirations is heavy, as they try to figure out their own authentic, independent identities; Scott and Jared seem like more than ‘just friends’ and a play with a multi-cultural cast explicitly discussing intersectionality invites reflection around social dynamics and how race may also benefit or disadvantage people and groups at an esteemed establishment like St Imperium. Only first produced in 2022, Trophy Boys explores timely themes, which feel safer coming from male characters played by female/non-binary performers, as they uncover behaviour that should not be tolerated but is concerningly normalised, and each of them questions the others, but is also questionable in turn.
Overall, Trophy Boys is a fine addition to an excellent 2026 programme for Pip Theatre. Director Anne Pensalfini and the entire creative team succeed wonderfully with this production, inviting our serious reflection with a humorous wink, in this spirited yet sobering satire. Highly recommended.
To book tickets to Trophy Boys By Emmanuelle Mattana, please visit https://piptheatre.org/trophy-boys/.
Photographer: Kenn Wylchi