The Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust (Masterclass) are partnering with anti-bullying charity Kidscape to create Cyberscene – an innovative project which will use theatre to support the health and well-being of young people affected by cyber bullying.
The digital age has seen social behaviours change dramatically and the ways in which young people communicate and socialise is shifting. 87% of 16-24 year olds now access the internet via a mobile device and can spend up to 3 hours a day just on social media. With such remarkable developments, are our children and younger generations appropriately educated and equipped to use the internet and digital technology safely?
Ahead of Anti-Bullying Week next week (14-18 November 2016), Masterclass and Kidscape are proud to announce Cyberscene: an essential new theatre project that will work with students from South Thames College, Leyton Sixth Form College, Hackney Community College and Barnet and Southgate College to create a powerful new play which explores the impact of technology, social media and cyber bullying.
Working with director Guy Unsworth and writer Emily Jenkins, the play will be scripted through a series of theatre based workshops. In this supportive environment, young people can share their stories, learn from each other and be part of an empowering project which aims to address the impacts of cyber bullying and the wider digital realm. The final production will be staged at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in March 2017.
Dame Judi Dench DBE has endorsed the project and notes that theatre can play a significant role in addressing the issue of cyber bullying:
“As a Patron of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust, I am delighted to lend my support to a worthwhile project which will harness the power of theatre to bring together a community of young students to address the issues associated with cyber bullying.”
The heart of the project is about giving young people a voice, creating an exciting platform to support their experiences and to raise awareness of the issue to a much wider audience.
Peter Bradley, Director of Services at Kidscape said: “We are proud to be partnering with Masterclass. We know the internet can be exciting, informative and fun – yet it’s also a world where young people are bullied, exploited and led to harm. There’s a vital need for this project – what you will see on stage is what’s happening in our schools and colleges. Cyberscene will provide a new insight into how young people live their digital lives.”
Cyberscene is generously supported by The Pure Land Foundation and the Theatre Royal Haymarket and will be created under the artistic guidance of renowned British theatre director, Jonathan Church CBE.
