Halfway through the performance, Shore and Taylor knew they wanted to adapt the show into a film. Says Shore, "It had two very strong characters -- Linda, who is very funny, and Steven, who is refreshingly unfazed about his situation. The story line has two or three massively strong turning points in the plot, which really make you sit up and take notice. Unlike one's usual experience in the theatre, I knew that every scene that made the audience gasp would be even stronger on the cinema screen."

The filmmakers were also motivated by the importance of bringing the story to a larger audience. Says Taylor, "I was interested in doing something that was entertaining and positive and had a reason for being there. That's what appealed to me about Patrick's writing -- it was warm and accessible and popular, and he used those qualities to address a subject that was worth bringing to people's attention."

Says Wilde, "I wrote the play because I had something to say. I was sick of being told by people -- even gay people -- that it's easier to be gay now. Maybe it is easier to be gay, once you're out. But I don't believe it's easier than it ever was to come out. All the pressures from your peers, from your parents, are still there, and no amount of legislation is going to change that."

Although the story is about a gay teenager, the filmmakers were captivated by the play's universality. The process of coming out for the main character emphasizes the difficulties all adolescents face in developing a sense of identity. Says Shore, "The play showed what it was like to be sixteen years old, gay and living in a provincial town, but by putting it into a familiar context of everyone's adolescence, Patrick had written a story that everyone would identify with. We were immediately convinced that it would make a fantastic film."

Another appealing element for the filmmakers was the play's setting in Basingstoke. The filmmakers saw Basingstoke as an opportunity to move away from the gritty social realism prevalent in British films today. Shore notes, "Basingstoke is a new town, built for the car. It's quite unlike any other town in England-- even the houses are different. It looks very American, which I like, because there's something universal about that quality in terms of cinema."

One of the initial challenges facing the filmmakers, however, was the translation of the script into a tight and cinematic screenplay. Says Wilde, "Simon and I worked very closely on the script. Simon's great on structure. I couldn't have had a better baptism in the cinema than I've had with Stephen and Simon. Stephen not only had the faith to option the play, but commissioned a full screenplay out of his own pocket. And working with Simon on the script was a genuine collaboration, right through to discussions with the actors."

On working on the adaptation with Wilde, Shore comments, "Our priority was to channel the wit and passion in the play into a movie script." Shore adds, "The authenticity of it was also very important to us, so we did a lot of research. It's been a long time since Patrick and I were sixteen, and it was important for us that we get it right."

In their commitment to portray life of today's teenager realistically, the film makers held rehearsed readings and discussions at numerous schools. Throughout the adaptation process, Shore and Wilde incorporated the input of young people roughly the same age as the main characters in their script. Says Shore, "The great thing about working with kids who are at school or have just left is that they won't let anything by if it isn't real."

Once the adaptation was completed, the filmmakers faced the challenge of casting the young principals. Says Shore, "We saw between 120-140 people for the principal roles. We held open auditions and saw everyone we could between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. I think we were very lucky in the young actors we found. What's interesting is the range of experience -- I had to keep apologizing for explaining everything to them, because some of them didn't know what a call sheet was and some of them were old hands. But they're all very bright and worked fantastically well together."

For the pivotal role of Steven Carter, the filmmakers chose Ben Silverstone, one of the more experienced actors in the young cast. Silverstone had made his acting debut in Mike Figgis' The Browning Version. More recently, he appeared as the young Humbert Humbert in Adrian Lyne's controversial adaptation of Nabokov's Lolita. He is currently reading English at Trinity College, Cambridge.

In his portrayal of Steven, Silverstone delivers a remarkably complex performance, capturing the character's confident acceptance of his sexuality in spite of the turmoil of adolescent emotions. Says Silverstone about the film, "It's obviously a gay love story. But to a large extent, the gay issue just highlights the difficulties most teenagers have in dealing with their parents and trying to establish an identity for themselves. The film works because the characters that surround Steven are so funny and diverse. It's full of moments every teenager will recognize. All those problems that arise out of teenage life are there."

For the part of John Dixon, the filmmakers searched for an actor who could convincingly portray the self-assured school heartthrob as well as the vulnerable, confused teenager the character embodies. They selected newcomer Brad Gorton, a recent graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Says Gorton, "I was immediately attracted to the role of John and the problems he is going through. One of the things Patrick said to me was that this film is going to help a lot of young people. But I think it will also help a lot of parents to understand the kind of pressures they are putting on their kids." Since making Get Real, Brad has landed the leading role of Dan in ITV's ever-popular primetime drama series, London's Burning.

Another first-timer chosen for the film is Charlotte Brittain, who delivers a lively and humorous performance as Linda, Steven's neighbour and confidante. Says Brittain, "I like playing strong characters, and I like doing comedy. Linda is a very good balance of the two. She's very up-front and opinionated, and I enjoyed playing that. But beneath all that, I think she has a lot of problems that she never allows us to see."

In addition to acting in the film, the young cast also served as a sounding board for the filmmakers, making sure that everything in the film had the modern teenage stamp of approval. Says Shore, "Because they are the age they're playing, they were the most important filter the script was run through, at every stage. They even chose the music for the disco scene," he chuckles, "I wasn't going to get involved with that."

As a result, Shore has created a honest and compelling glimpse into the heart of adolescence in Get Real. With humour and tenderness, Shore captures both the profound yearning and the hormonal lust of the age, in his story of a young man's journey into adulthood. Bittersweet and triumphant, Get Real presents an inspiring portrait of a young man's coming to terms with his sexual identity.