NUMBER ONE is a play about the journey made by every schoolgirl. It speaks to the contemporary teenage experience, and through humour addresses universal issues such as the search for acceptance, self-definition, self-confidence, and self-esteem.



Merle Williams is a seventeen year old schoolgirl who is obsessed with being “number one”. What she wants most in the world is to be accepted; to be accepted by her father, by her family, and by her fellow pupils, but what she needs most is to be accepted by herself. Merle believes she can earn that acceptance if she can be the best at everything she does.



This quest leads to insanely comical consequences, as Merle chooses to define her self-worth according to her achievements in relation to others. On her voyage, Merle comes to realise that she has in fact only been damaging her self-esteem and confidence.



NUMBER ONE challenges the audience to choose how they want to define the person that they want to be, and then to have the courage to be that person.