Youths speak from the heart
While most teenagers are busy worrying about what's cool and what's not, a remarkable group of young people in Hong Kong are confronting issues many would rather dive under the table than talk about.
Louise Chin, Jo Jo Fan, Nathan Fischer, Isabelle Libmann, Sarah Paule and Eric Sell, all 16 and 17 years old, have one mission: they have a voice and want it to be heard.
Basing their work loosely on Brent Beerman's play Lemon Squeeze, these six teenagers from a mix of international schools have written their own 60-minute drama, Listen To Me, about what they know best: the problems teenagers deal with when growing up in Hong Kong.
Supported by KELY, a charity set up as a self-help group for young people, Listen To Me promises to be one of the highlights of the Youth Arts Festival.
Don't be deceived; this is not your typical story of teenage drugs and alcohol abuse.
'We wanted to avoid stereotypes,' says Eric.
It is a poignant depiction of six teenagers who are learning to survive in an image-obsessed world.
In the story, four teenage girls who have known each other since primary school get together for one last 'squeeze' - a sleep-over - while their boyfriends are chatting about their own issues in a bar.
The play confronts relationship problems, body image, sex and death, invoking strong language which has led to an audience age restriction of 15 and over.
'We talk about everything you don't want to talk about with people,' says Sarah.
They want it to be a window for adults, and particularly parents, to see into the teenage world.
'We want adults to listen to us as we are and take our issues seriously,' says Isabelle.
The script is, as one might expect, largely autobiographical.
'These are all personal things which have happened to us or friends and no matter how extreme or unbelievable it seems, it is all true,' says Nathan.
'We wrote this as it relates to us. I didn't try to make it any more or less than I am. If people think it's corny then so what, I am corny,' says Eric.
Although they tried to make this a cross-culturally relevant script ('All kids are in the same boat even though they are struggling with different experiences,' says Eric), it inevitably reflects the expatriate experience most clearly.
'[Chinese teenagers] tend to be more conservative,' remarks Nathan. 'The Hong Kong community is pretty sheltered. Even though AIDS and bulimia happens in Chinese culture, it's kept in and suppressed,' Eric adds.
Hong Kong brings its own specific problems to its youngest adults. 'We have to confront issues like drugs and alcohol at an earlier age,' says Eric.
'But it also means we won't go crazy drinking when we get to college as we are exposed to things earlier.' They are confident that their message will be heard. 'When you want to be heard in a community, you really will be heard in Hong Kong because it's so small,' says Jo Jo.
The play particularly sends a message to parents. 'It is a chance to force parents to listen to us because the audience can't get up and say no to us,' says Eric. 'It's a lesson for parents.' Director Christy Webb Gibson, 43, who is also directing a children's dance show, Vegimation, for the Youth Arts Festival, has guided the course of the play and is keen to see a continuation of this production at a later date.
'I would like to see it go somewhere else when it has finished; the cultural issue between expatriate and local Chinese kids ought to be further addressed.' Listen to Me, McAulay Theatre, Arts Centre. November 3 and 4
