Heads Up - Using Theatre to combat Bullying

Heads Up - Using Theatre to combat Bullying

The Drama Workshop has once again embarked on a ‘Heads Up’ programme for youth in Hawkes Bay.

Fourteen intermediate aged students across seven schools in Hawkes Bay have been meeting once, sometimes twice weekly, to devise a theatre show about “Bullying,” its causes and effects.

The shows intended audience, are the students’ peers, teachers and parents and its intended outcome is to provoke conversations about Bullying within the wider community.

Heads Up is part of a nationwide project, Te Punanga Haumaru, translated, A Safe Haven, funded by the Ministry of Social Development.

The Napier Family Centre is also involved in the project acting as the fundholder and by providing a social worker, Tracey Kenah, to work alongside the theatre devising process.

‘Tracey is invaluable to the work, supporting the children with any issues that may arise and also providing us, the facilitators, with up-to-date research in the field,” Drama facilitator, Juliet Cottrell said.

Also on the team is young musician/composer, Michael Rowlands, Choreographer Champa Maciel, Theatre Director Peter Cottrell, youth worker Ian Gosling, Film-maker and Ambulance officer Warren Elliott and Student youth worker Jenny Kidd.

“We have built a team around this project who truly care about the artistic and social aspects of this work and along with the fourteen fantastic kids we are blessed to be working with, this can only result in a very fine and thought provoking piece of theatre.”

The show makes its debut on December ninth and will tour Hawkes Bay schools including a public performance on Thursday 11 December at the Century Theatre, MTG, Napier at 6pm.

The team is hoping to fill the theatre and at just $5 a ticket this shouldn’t be difficult.

“Anyone interested in helping to stamp out Bullying in schools, the workplace and the home are invited to come and see what these young people have to say about it,” Mrs Cottrell said.

A documentary about the devising process is also being made by local charitable trust, 2e Media. The documentary will be aired early next year and according to Cottrell will be “just as important as the show itself”.

Date: Thursday 11 December, 2014. Century Theatre, MTG, Napier. Tickets only sold at the door on the night.

ENDS

© Scoop Media