Despite repeated statements from Enright that the plays were a work of fiction, they have both often been considered by viewers to be a factual account.

Three youths from the party, Davo, Scott, and Toby, tell Ricko that they raped Tracy but left her alive.

In the play's last scene Jared confesses to Diane that he witnessed the three youths raping Tracy, but he did not intervene.

The play originated as Enright's A Property of the Clan, a theatre-in-education piece written for Freewheels Theatre in Education in Newcastle which premiered in 1992.

Enright initially refused, but Joyce argued that the actual subject of the play would be the victim's peer-groups.

The title was taken from a quote in the psychological report that was made on Mathew Webster, the man who murdered Leigh, in preparation for his trial.

[4] Leigh's mother Robyn objected to the fictionalisation of her daughter's murder, stating she would have preferred a documentary account.

[9] Enright stated that while the comparison to Leigh's murder was of interest to the media, the play was actually about how any group of boys abuse any girl, and how they came to do it.

[7][5] Even though the rape and murder were not shown in the play, the audience were said to be able to fill in their blanks from their knowledge of Leigh's killing.

[7] The play was also shown at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1993,[12] and was shortlisted for a New South Wales Premier's Literary Award that year.

[10] The narrative and emphasis were reshaped for an adult audience outside of a specifically educational environment,[14] also shifting the plays focus.

"[20] The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities support website hosted curriculum material for high school classwork on both plays,[23] prior to its decommission in 2016.

[24] Blackrock's premiere production was directed by David Berthold, and featured the following cast:[17] All other roles were played by members of the company.