Northamptonshire venue The Core at Corby Cube is working with the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner to tour a piece of theatre about intimate teenage relationships.
It will be seen in secondary schools across the county and will be followed by workshops.
Young people in Northamptonshire have told the Commissioner that they are facing issues within intimate relationships at an increasingly younger age.
As part of a consultation with 12- to 18-year-olds, a new piece of theatre will tour to about 20 secondary schools. A play has been written and devised in collaboration with Highly Sprung. The Coventry-based theatre company specialises in young people’s work and uses a strong physical and visual style to help communicate difficult ideas and emotions.
The drama focuses on the beginning of a new relationship in which a teenager is increasingly controlled by her boyfriend who is himself a victim of insecurities and anxieties.
The workshops will be by Service Six, a specialist provider of services for thousands of hard-to-reach children, young people, adults and families.
The project started its tour at the beginning of November. Its impact will be evaluated at The Core in March 2016.
Nick Walker, director of The Core, said, “issue-based theatre has been going into schools for many years, but with the nature of relationships changing, we were specifically interested in looking at the online world, alongside particular issues of how young people recognise healthy relationships.
“The important thing is to start a series of conversations and offer support to anyone who might need it.”
Adam Simmonds, Northamptonshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, added, “we will ensure young people’s views and experiences influence the delivery of the Northamptonshire children and young people’s victims service that is currently being commissioned, so that services are tailored to needs and offer the best possible form of support.”