Too Much Punch for Judy
by Mark Wheeller

Recommended on Tāhūrangi Aotearoa New Zealand for Drama Years 11–13

Too Much Punch for Judy is Mark Wheeller’s landmark verbatim play about a fatal drink-driving accident and its devastating consequences. Based on real interviews and spoken testimony, it has become one of the most widely performed contemporary plays for young people.

Judy and Jo are sisters, out for a night of drinking, laughter and reckless fun. But when Judy drives home after drinking, the crash that follows kills Jo and leaves Judy facing the consequences of a decision that can never be undone.

First performed in 1987, Too Much Punch for Judy has toured schools, colleges, prisons, young offenders’ institutions and army bases across the world. It has been performed extensively in the UK and internationally, including in Aotearoa New Zealand, where it has a long and successful performance history.

This revised edition includes the 2020 prologue, reframing the original story with renewed urgency and asking difficult questions about guilt, grief, responsibility, addiction, punishment and whether theatre can change behaviour.

For UK GCSE Drama and school performance

Long valued by UK drama teachers, Too Much Punch for Judy has been cited in Chief Examiner’s reports for Drama GCSE as an example of a play that gives students ample opportunity to achieve across the criteria.

The play gives students practical and analytical opportunities to explore:

vocal and physical performance skills
characterisation and subtext
non-naturalistic staging
physicalisation and symbolic design
narration, monologue, duologue and ensemble work
dramatic tension, contrast and structure
live theatre evaluation and written response
performance work with clear social purpose

For New Zealand Drama Years 11–13

Now recommended for senior Drama students in Aotearoa New Zealand, Too Much Punch for Judy offers rich opportunities for work across performance, directing, devising, script analysis, technical design and critical response.

The play supports study of:

verbatim and documentary theatre
theatre as social inquiry
ethical representation and real-life testimony
actor–audience relationship and audience impact
role, status, relationships, subtext and intention
ensemble performance, narration, chorus and physical theatre
simple but powerful technical design choices
analysing how drama components communicate meaning

Its classroom flexibility means it can be approached through full performance, selected scenes, monologues, devising stimulus, directing exercises, design concepts, written analysis or discussion of theatre’s power to educate, challenge and provoke change.

Cast: 13 (6 male, 6 female, 1 any gender)
or 2 male, 2 female with doubling

Characters include Judy, Jo, Vi, Bob, Nob, Duncan, PC Caten, PC Abrahams, Sister/Charge Nurse Davis, Narrators, Mark, Ron Jessup, Simon Spence and Voices/Actors.

Duration:
60 minutes approximately

Props and Presentation:
This play should be presented simply, yet imaginatively. Few props are required: A wheelchair, two sets of car keys and two half-filled beer glasses.

Additional Learning Resources for Teachers:

DVD – A production of Too Much Punch For Judy by Oasis Youth Theatre and interview with playwright Mark Wheeller, Ape Theatre Company Director Matt Allen and cast – £19.99
YouTube – insight from playwright Mark Wheeller
The Story Behind … Too Much Punch for Judy – a digital edition of resources including photography, statistics, lesson ideas and behind the scenes accounts.

Reviews:
‘The audience I sat in was patently out for some whooping Friday night fun watching their mates on stage. At the end there was a horrid silence.’
Nick Baker, Times Educational Supplement