Upfront Theatre Company Performance

On Friday 26 September, we were delighted to welcome Upfront Theatre Company into school for a very special performance and interactive workshop. They performed ‘In Harm’s Way’ for Year 12 during periods 1 and 2 and Year 9 during periods 3 and 4. 

The first 15 minutes of each session introduced the themes – mental health and self-harm. The three performers picked two volunteers from the audience for a short myth-busting activity. Students were then introduced to the three characters of the play, who were all Year 9 age but played by adults. The play itself lasted nearly an hour and followed three school friends and their experiences with self-harm. While at times very hard-hitting, the performance dealt with the material in a sensitive and thoughtful way – creating an engaging and dynamic piece of drama.

After the performance, students took part in a number of reflective activities, including ‘forum theatre’ – where our students gave advice for how the characters could have reacted, which were then incorporated into the scene. At the end of the session, the performers signposted services and help that are available and took part in a small Q&A with our students. 

• “This performance made my day – it helped me understand the different problems faced by people.”
• “The play was very educational and well-acted.”
• “I really liked how the play helped us to know more about mental health, as well as to know that struggling is okay and normal.”
• “All [the actors] were fantastic. They motivated us to not be afraid to express our feelings”.

Afterwards, the performers said,

“Both groups were fantastic. They were very engaged through the workshop and proposed really interesting, intelligent questions. A real joy working with the students.”