A play which focuses on the huge pressures placed on students during their Leaving Cert year has made its debut at the Dublin Fringe Festival.
The play, called The Leaving, revolves around a protest by a group of Leaving Cert students at the unfairness of the points race. The play, from the Barnstorm Theatre Company, began last night at The Axis, Ballymun's new arts and community resource centre.
The play, written by Brendan Griffin, a teacher who has taught Leaving Cert students, runs until Saturday.
An earlier production in Waterford attracted considerable interest, particularly from schools.
The one-hour play follows a group of Leaving Cert students who stage a lively protest in their local heritage centre over the pressure of the points system, the CAO regime and the expectations of family and neighbours.
The six threaten to boycott the exam in protest against the pressure they are under.
Ms Maeve Butler of the Barnstorm Theatre Company, a non-profit making group usually based in Kilkenny, said the play was about much more than the State examinations.
"It is about each character's personal journey as they confront their fears and attempt to stand up to the system," she said.