Youth theatre builds skills and confidence Acting out life’s family conflicts

Press, 13 March 1985, Page 13

Youth theatre builds skills and confidence Acting out life’s family conflicts

David, aged 18, could be described as a “systems” person. He is at university, knows where he wants to go, and how to use the system to get there. His younger sister Sara, on the other hand, has dropped out of school and does not have a job. They come from a very religious, restrictive family and both want a way out. Although David has betrayed his parents' beliefs, he has managed to keep it all from them, and they think he is a model child. Sara thinks David is a hypocrite — she wants to confront her family and tell her parents how she feels. David says she cannot do that because their parents would fall apart. He doesn’t want her to speak any truths and tells her to play the game, as he has. Suburban guerrilla warfare around the breakfast table? Yes and no.

This is the plot of a play, “Rivals and Idols,” written by Christchurch playwright, Michelanne Forster. It will be performed by a group of young Christchurch actors who belong to the creative drama group run at the Peterborough Arts’ Centre by Rosie Belton. The play was commissioned last year by Rosie Belton. She wanted something youth orientated for her creative drama group and it seemed particularly appropriate to perform it during International Youth Year. “The ideas came from the kids themselves — they wanted something serious that reflected real-life situations they face. “All the cast are aged between 13 and 22 years. Lighting, props, and other back-stage work is also being done by young people,” she says. Michelanne Forster admits she was “really stunned” to be asked to write the play. She has written two children’s plays and “A Dream Romance,” performed at the Court Theatre last year. “Rivals and Idols” differs from any of her previous work. “I tried a very experimental approach. Although the plot appears fairly straightforward, there is not a straight-through narrative, and the play moves freely through time. “The past happens all the time. I tried to show how the past makes families the way they are — David and Sara become five and seven-year-olds, and act out disputes. “Sara also has three recurring nightmares, and these dream sequences use six kids in dance choreographed by Judi Brookfield.” Youth theatre is really important for young people, even if they are not going to make careers out of it, says Michelanne Forster.

“It is a marvellous way to learn about themselves, gain confidence and develop 1 lots of life skills.

“Being in a play is really hard work. You have to take a lot of responsibility and it is a huge time commitment, but something you can get a lot of pride out of.” The play is not a dis-

Compiled by youth reporter, Liz Rowe. ‘Forum’ is a fortnightly column for young people. Contributions from any young people are welcome, and should be sent to Liz Rowe,, ‘The Press,’ P. O. Box 1005, Christchurch.

guised sermon, self-help therapy, or a lesson in what teenage life is about, she says. “First and foremost it is theatre. I will be pleased if young people come, but would hate it to be recommended viewing for parents and school counsellors. “The feeling I got from watching the drama group’s improvisation work was that they wanted something that reflected their own conflicts. It had to be real to them and family conflicts, and other things, came out really strongly.” The play will be directed by Hilary Norris, a professional actress from Dunedin

who has just returned from a full-time, three-month directors course in London. It has been ‘workshopped,” in Dunedin and the final version is the result of “hard work and sweat” by Michelanne Forster. “When you first write a play you haven’t a clue whether it will work or not. A group of actors and a director read it through and get started on a performance so the writer can see the words come off the paper. “This helps to see how the dialogue works — you then rush back home and rewrite everything.”