Commissioned by the National Theatre for the Connections Festival last year, Pronoun by Evan Placey is a challenging script for young people, exploring the journey of Dean as he transitions from female to male whilst coping with school, relationships and family.

He obsesses over James Dean, and snippets from Rebel Without A Cause mirror the modern day identity struggles.

Pronoun is an important story and the writing had great resonance. It was also refreshing to see a story of female to male transition exploring the constructions of masculinity, rather than the more visible and more frequently discussed male to female.

The young company dealt well with the complex roles and emotions portrayed in Pronoun with a maturity which strongly communicated the story to their audience. Sofia Billan and Georgy Pleece stood out as Dean and Josh, a young couple at the centre of the drama, dealing with the changes to their relationship that the transition brought.

The supporting cast also performed well, bringing a solid commitment to their characters and a lovely sense of comedy – the SMT duo is well worth a mention here, with their cheery, well-meaning double speak well interpreted by Sophie Warren and Ana Lamond.

Four stars