Voltarian Coming-of-Age Theater

With Voltarian culture centered around the performing arts, it's no surprise that theater is deeply ingrained into both work and play. One of its most prominent theatrical traditions is that on attaining adulthood, young people in the community sometimes celebrate by writing and/or directing a theatrical production that comments on, satirizes, calls into question or otherwise invites locals to reflect on how they act from day to day as they portray a version of themselves cast through the eyes of another member of their community. The tradition of "Coming-of-Age Theater" is one of the more unusual practices in the nation then, in that it serves not only as a birthday celebration, but pushes the entire community to expand their comfort zones and explore new ways of being themselves.
Voltarian children are raised on theater, and by the time a child becomes a young adult (traditionally at 16), they’re usually well on their way to learning some combination of dance, music, acting, direction and/or writing. Coming of age is a major event in a young person’s life, and among their options for how they might celebrate is the creation of an unusual type of play.
The play consists almost entirely of “characters” that are people in the immediate community, it’s rare to add anyone new except as a kind of plot device. The play depicts some sequence of events about the local community. These events are sometimes mundane, sometimes fantastical, but they involve locals portraying themselves as they put on the show.
The twist is, the opportunity to manipulate an overarching plot and write dialogue for others allows the playwright to exhibit a subtle level of control over the community, at least for that one performance, and to make commentary about how people conduct themselves. Sometimes this is used to uplift, as when someone who’s quite shy is placed in a heroic position, other times it’s used to make rather biting commentary on local events and the day to day behavior of people in the community, such as to exaggerate the behavior of someone with poor manners and hint to them that their actions aren’t always as considerate as they could be.
Authors must walk a fine line, as participation in their play is at the discretion of their friends and neighbors, but it’s considered rude to refuse and everyone is expected to put up with at least a little ribbing on a day that’s meant to celebrate one young person’s take on the world. Youngsters who want a romantic sub-plot are often stricken with anxiety about whether to approach a crush to act out some romantic scene, as some Voltarian courtships begin this way.
Coming-of-Age plays are usually performed only once, on the day in question, for the local community. Many of the references and jokes wouldn’t make sense to anyone else anyway. A select few, however, are recognized as having artistic merit, and more than one famous playwright has gotten their start with some version of their coming-of-age play achieving a short run outside their local theater.
Different young people will try to accomplish different things with these plays, with some aiming to become famous or recognized as artists as above. Others wish to provide social commentary or to take their moment in the spotlight to hold up certain behavior in the community in a new light. Still others simply use it as an opportunity to have a good time, and well-written comedies that skewer and satirize local figures can lead to jokes that last for generations.