INPUT / … / … / Who Am I? Lost in Identity Is the coming-of-age drama in transition?

While coming-of-age drama used to be about getting to make mature choices, nowadays we see a tendency of identity-driven drama for younger audiences — at least in the western world. The question seems to have shifted from ‘what will I do with my life’ to ‘who am I’? In almost every production we will show here, gender, sexuality and sexual preferences play a prominent role. Is this all there is to the lives of teenagers and young adults? Who decides that this should be the leading theme? And what are the pros and cons of showing the act of sex extensively, especially when it is not heterosexual sex? Is that a liberating necessity or does it give way to the limited implication that a different gender or sexual orientation is only about sex? We will scan the chances and limitations of the joy and pressure of the diversity discourse. Does every aspect of diversity have to be addressed in every production? Is this just a true picture of the times we are living in? Or does this approach overstress the point? We will ask ourselves how form and content of actual coming-of-age dramas are influenced by social media. How do you choose the right platform for your target audience, and do you adapt form and content to this platform? Different genres handle with similar themes. What are the benefits of a serious approach, when does a bit of mystery work, and is comic relief an option?