Year 9's Devised Play - #ME - Takes to the Stage

Written and devised by Year 9 pupils, and featuring original music, choreography and animations created by this talented young cast, #ME offered an unflinching look at the challenges of coming of age in the 21st Century. Young KES scriptwriters tackled challenging themes including homophobia, body dysmorphia, toxic masculinity, imposter syndrome, family dysfunction, bullying, prejudice and social media, baring their souls and holding an unflinching mirror up to the audience as they explored the pressures on young people today. From parental pressure, academic pressure, peer pressure, pressure to look perfect, to fit in, to stand out, this production forced us to ask uncomfortable questions, to confront difficult realities – and yet the outlook was never bleak but always hopeful, concluding ultimately,  ‘You are stronger than you think. You’re alive and surviving, You are more than good enough!’

The play opens with a stark white stage, with strings of festoon lights and empty mirror/photo-frames suspended from above. Shadow-play shows a child growing up, as a dance sequence  conveys the pain of coming of age. Each cast member sports a white t-shirt emblazoned with a slogan: #ugly #shy #bully #mask #poof #nerd #popular #body to show the socially constructed stereotypes which limit the way we see ourselves and others – stereotypes which this bold, brave and innovative production seeks to explore – and explode.   Over and over we see the motif of characters staring at us through the frames – staring into mirrors, into carefully curated images of themselves, asking to be seen.  It is only at the end of the play that the cast strip off their sloganed T-shirts to reveal another underneath, each bearing the eponymous title #ME, signalling hard-won self-acceptance.

The opening piece ‘Acceptance’ explores the pressure of family expectations. Anna Winkelmann’s script powerfully depicts parental anger at a less-than-perfect report card, and a student afraid to pursue ambitions that diverge from the path laid out by family. Betty Marshall movingly plays the tortured teen, dealing with parties and pregnancy scares; Oscar Lowton and Defne Sertoglu are chillingly indifferent as ‘Tiger Parents’; whilst Roman is rather loveable as the frazzled father to Ned Holdsworth’s endearingly terrible tween.  Anna Winkelmann’s ‘woke’ friend offers the voice of reason and of hope in this piece which ultimately concludes: ‘If you want to be accepted by others you first need to accept yourself.’

‘Wallpaper’ explores peer pressure, bullying and self-esteem. Edie Osmond’s script uses puppetry, physical theatre and live music written and performed by Isla Byrne to poignantly portray the masks we adopt in order to fit in. Isla Byrne and Charlotte Clarke offer a moving portrayal of a kid who wants to be invisible, who dumbs down and adopts a mask in order to ‘blend into the wallpaper’. Aryan Gonsalves and Edie Osmond are gloriously repellent as the popular kids who practise petty cruelty and initiation rites based on exclusion and constantly shifting social rules. Ultimately, though this piece explodes the view that ‘you gotta keep up if you want to fit in!’ and Isla’s beautiful song sums up the message that ‘I am stronger than my flaws.’

‘The Switch’ – co-written by its co-stars Oscar Farrar and Silas Collins -  is a classic Hollywood bodyswap narrative which features Oscar as the paranoid pro-footballer with imposter syndrome and Silas as the invisible man-on-the-street, longing for his turn in the spotlight. When the two magically swap bodies, both discover that fame doesn’t bring happiness and that the key to contentment is feeling happy in your own skin.  Funny, moving, poignant and memorable!

The final piece, ‘No Filter’ explores homophobia, bullying and body dysmorphia. Written by Joseph Walker and featuring stunning original animations work by Ava Foyle, this piece packs no punches as it explores bullying and the invidious influence of social media. Jacob Cooper and Beth Fear achieve the near impossible by making us ultimately feel some sympathy even for the persecutors – bullies who come with their own sets of issues; Joseph Walker and Ariana Moayedi offer heart-wrenching portrayals of the victims of bullying; whilst Sophie Lyons and Zoe Young  offer complex and mature depictions of parents  who feel powerless to help their children. Beth Fear’s beautiful voice, singing a song that she wrote herself, resonates through this piece which opens asking  ‘Why am I so….’ and concludes ‘I am just me!’

Author Alan Gibbons observed that art should ‘never enter a dark room unless it can also light the way out’ and though this show presents a challenging and at times harrowing depiction of the challenges of growing up today, this brave bold cast -  and crew (for Clem Scotland is stage manager whilst Ian Korzuch mans the sound desk and Ava Foyle operates AV!) also offer an inspiring message of hope and empowerment. G. K. Chesterton put it well when he said: “Stories do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Stories tell children the dragons can be killed.” And the stories these KES students have chosen to tell do just that. The final potent image of the cast all in white, their shirts emblazoned colourfully with #ME is a joyous assertion of these young people’s ability to overcome all obstacles, to embrace who they are, and challenge those who would seek to diminish them. A ray of light at the end of an unprecedented year, this brave, bold and brilliant piece was surely the perfect way to signal the return of live audiences to the KES Theatre!

Review by Mrs Bruton, English & Drama Teacher

You can view photos from the performance below.

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