I grew up in a working-class family of three generations living in an apartment together and the success of our coexistence was based on our ability to be as quiet, polite and unobtrusive as possible. But by acting that way, I’ve later realized that grown-ups tended to forget the height of our awareness and understanding of our immediate surroundings.

Brave Boys shows and examines the relations between grown-ups and kids and the social roles they’re expected to take and follow, especially in the paternal efforts of protecting our children from the “hard and unpleasant” things in life, in this case a premature and tragic death of a father.

A mix of my childhood and parental experiences create a primal drive to tackle this topic. I have a strong need to examine the motives of childhood and growing up (especially in times of war) and the meaning of family and our social, physical and emotional roles within it.

My thoughts speak through the character of an eight-year old boy and his “escape” into play, but also through the unseen but omnipresent Father character and the rigid and emotionally unavailable character of Grandpa.

I’d like to remind the audience of how strong and, at the same time, fragile kids can be. Even while acting brave or taking up the role of passive observers kids can easily become both direct and collateral victims of not only war but any of our “grown-up” choices and actions. Even victims of our effort to try and protect them from ourselves.