Mallow students stage moving tale about teen mental health
IN September 2017 the Senior Musical Theatre class (ranging in age from 15 to 18 years) at Centre Stage School began developing a play inspired by the music of Broadway hit ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. It culminated in a sold out musical spectacle called ‘For Forever’ at the Cork Arts Theatre on Sunday last and was received by the audience with tears, laughter and standing ovations.
The music and lyrics of the Tony Award winning show centre on the themes of mental health, and the students were anxious from the beginning that their play would deal with these issues in their own personal way.
Facilitated by playwright Katie Holly, the students created a story line with characters their own age central to the plot facing issues that many Irish young adults deal with on a daily basis: isolation, bullying and grief.
They also portrayed the parents, friends and teachers of these young people dealing with these difficult topics.
The process of writing this play was a collaborative one, with writer Katie Holly, Director Aideen McAuliffe and Choreographer David O’Connor assisting the students in telling a funny, sad and true-to-life tale of a young person’s struggle with mental health issues.
The creative team and teachers involved all agreed that in their story and their portrayal of the characters, the students brought a passion and a sensitivity to the project that was beyond their teenage years.
Nicole McDonagh was Musical Director conducting musicians Christine Cusack, Louise Luddy and Luke Tai in stunning renditions of the musical score.
Tellingly, the only question on any audience members lips at the end of the show was ‘when will this be on again?’.
Watch this space …