SUTCo is back! The drama studio doors open, it’s soft red seats filled, it’s stage transformed into a school library; ready for Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock. This is a play set in a Manchester grammar school, following seven high-achieving students going through the motions of mocks, procrastination, and sex. Things take a turn for the dark and dangerous when Oxbridge-hopeful William (played by Tobias Kunz) begins to fall for Cambridge-escapee Lily (played by Kirsty Lucas). Whilst Punk Rock’s rambunctious company is fantastic, it’s Lucas and Kunz who have the burden of carrying the emotional weight of the show. Our heart strings are theirs to play with if they have the guts to do so. And guts they had. It’s hard to say whether the power and bravery of eithers performance comes from some innate ability or Ben Newman’s nurturing direction, whatever it is I was left pleased. Pleased because throughout the play I saw actors willing to throw caution to the wind and try, be it for a dance, a flirt, or a look. I use the word try because every actor, in one play or another, has a moment that doesn’t quite work. A moment where everyone in the audience isn’t quite sure why it happened, all they do know is that they better not mention it once the play is over. A theatre piece with too many of these moments and one starts to think more about the temperature of the theatre or the comfortability of their seats rather than the action on stage. There is none of that here. There are some moments which shudder the audience's collective attention - a song too loud or a line too flat - but these are almost part-and-parcel of a show's first few runs. No, overall the cast and company does everything it can to hold the audience in its grip. Indeed, a thousand word review could be written of each individual involved in the show. Alas I’m not being paid for this. Still, some headway can be made to fully appreciate all involved. From Sam Wikinsons immensely funny portrayal of Nicholas to Bekah Patterson’s eerie Dr. Harvey there’s a lot to be commended. For instance, it must be noted how Nina Bradley brings an exceptional vitality to the production, astutely entering and exiting in a way that directs the trajectory of the play perfectly; that Zoe Pymont can turn the audience from laughter to fear in a second; and that Tom Pridgeon has an astute awareness of how to build character within tiny moments. The most noteworthy performance still comes from cast newcomer Ella Murton. This gender-swapped version of Chadwick had such a large amount of emotional depth and range that I couldn’t look away when she was on stage. It’s a performance nearing flawless, one that I wish would exist for longer than four performances. Whilst Chadwick is  a monologue heavy character with distressing diatribes that dominate the runtime, Murton makes her something more human. Indeed, it’s the text that holds this production back. A lacklustre final scene, a vapid thematic argument, and reliance on malignant stereotypes about neurodivergent people all work to drag the audience away from the best parts of the story: the dynamic dance-like movement between characters. The mechanics of the production that make Murton, Pymont, Wilkinson and co. shine. Outside of two similarly structured scenes we don’t have the joys of textually navigating the idiosyncrasies of each character as a group. That’s not to say that each character isn’t fleshed out but that a different play might’ve given this company more time playing off each other. It’s a question to ask director Ben Newman. Why Punk Rock? The dark themes and in-yer-face nature of the play fit Newman’s developing oeuvre (Pillowman, 2020; Recipe for a Baby, 2021). Moreover, this particular production plays to Newman’s clear affinity for physical theatre. He, quite magnificently, turns scene transitions into moments of vivid storytelling. The play opens and continues with such vivacious energy, brought to its height by the colliding of Newman’s directing and Gabe Mason’s stirring sound design. At times the atmosphere was electric. However, none of which could shake the question: why Punk Rock? Why go to the theatre in the first place? The show was most certainly triggering, containing large amounts of violence, images of sexual assault, foul language, and adult themes. The question is why? I caught people walking away in tears which on one hand is a testament to the emotional power of the show, but I can’t decide if those emotions were productive. Did it trigger for triggering sake, or was there a therapeutic catharsis to the whole process? That’s for the audience to decide. Me? I was just happy to see friends, colleagues, and acquaintances all joining together to make something fantastic. It’s what SUTCo is about. Sometimes more community than company: an ever changing roster of friends building great innovative - yet temporary - beasts for four nights. Each one is different from the last and I can’t wait for the next.