Stage plays break taboos to encourage students to talk about their problems
Theatre groups are portraying sensitive issues in their work to encourage teens to communicate
David Andrews, the founder of Chunky Onion Productions, often finds himself answering tough questions from his fiancée's young nieces and nephews. He has become very close to the children, all Hongkongers, and "a lot of them come to me to ask for advice and ask stuff they probably should ask their parents or teachers, but don't", he says. So Andrews decided to address these youth issues through drama.
An American who has lived in Hong Kong for about 18 years, Andrews says the culture here makes it difficult for young children and teenagers to openly and honestly discuss problems they face, such as academic pressure, addiction and bullying.
It was interesting working with teenagers because they were living a lot of these things
His role as director at Chunky Onion, which stages performances for schools, as well as providing entertainment for corporate and private clients, meant that he was well placed to create what is a new kind of show for the theatre company.
"We wanted to offer a theatre-based learning experience that talks about issues that teenagers and pre-teens are facing," he says.
The result is Life Choices, a production "targeted at children who are starting to make difficult decisions and face their own life challenges".
It's an interactive show, Andrews says, which means "we get the audience to suggest actions that can be taken during a particular scene to change the course of the outcome".