In Harm's Way (KS3-5)
90 minute session comprising of Play + interactive Lecture.
Performed to an entire year group.
Tour Schedule
Touring Sept 30th - Oct 18th 2024
Touring Nationally
In Harm’s Way is a PSHE play and interactive lecture exploring mental health, self-harm and the varying forms that can take, as well as looking at positive coping mechanisms.
Suitable for Year 8+.
Available to book for morning & afternoon sessions.
Free performances available for schools with >25% FSM!
Discounted performances available for schools with 15-25% FSM!
Sponsored by Inner Spark
early bird discount (-10%): until April 22nd
How do the sessions run?
The play and lecture are performed by 3 professional actors.
We start with a 10 minute introduction, outlining the themes and clarifying the facts and any laws surrounding the topic, and inviting the students to answer questions and get involved.
The Play runs for 50 minutes. It is followed by a 30 minute interactive lecture, where students are encouraged to discuss some of the characters' choices. We replay some of the key scenes and they are invited to offer the character's advice.
What We Cover
We begin with an introduction and where we play a game to clarify some of the fact, figures and myths surrounding mental health.
The play follows the friendship of three year 9 students over a two-year period. It explores mental health, coping mechanisms and emotional well-being. Through separate struggles with self-harm and risky behaviour in various forms including cutting, drugs, alcohol and online relationships, we explore the dangers, consequences and help available for some of these problems.
Following the play, the actors facilitate a 30 minute post-show lecture. We go through the main issues and identify any questions prompted by the story. We replay key scenes from the play and invite students to impart advice to a character putting herself in risky situations by experimenting with drugs, alcohol and online relationships.
We use forum theatre to explore in further detail a scene between two friends - one is struggling with his emotional wellness and feeling sad, but his friend feels uncomfortable and unsure how to help. The students will have the opportunity to suggest actions to help each character and explore the role and level of responsibility of the friend as well as the person struggling.
The play does have some challenging content & is designed for Year 8 and above.
Set Up
3 boxes, 3 actors in 1 car!
The actors arrive 30 minutes beforehand to sign in and set up, and pack down takes 15 minutes.
Because our products are centred around the strength of our fantastic actors, our set up is extremely simple and undisruptive.
No technical or electrical equipment or projectors required.
Included with the workshop
An accompanying workshop pack containing:
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Teachers further work pack
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(Preliminary & Post Show Resources outlining topics covered in the play.)
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Teachers Evaluation Form
Why is it so important to discuss mental health & self-harm with young people?
We all have mental health in the same way we have physical health, but sometimes it is not an easy subject to talk about with young people. And with 1 in 4 people in the UK suffering from a mental health condition in their lifetime, it is something we must talk about.
Statistics show than 1 in 4 adults will suffer from a mental health condition in their lifetime, 1 in 10 young people; and 50% of mental health conditions are established by 14 years old.
A YouGov/MQ and Forster survey in 2016 showed that 51% of young people would be embarrassed to talk about mental health.
Young Minds, PAPYRUS, Childline & NSPCC have all said 'more open and frank conversations should be encouraged with children.
According to The Children's Society's 'Good Childhood Report' - rates of self-harm among children are "worryingly high" with 16% (of more than 11,000 14-year-olds surveyed in the Millenium Cohort Study) reporting that they had self-harmed in the last year.
In Harm's Way invites students not only to observe and invest in the characters' stories, but to advise - this pro-active approach will encourage them to apply this advice in their own lives.
Praise for our PSHE Plays
"Excellent interactive quiz at the start, interesting play and Q&A session after. Highly engaging session, students loved it!"
"The students opted in to all aspects of the performance, from the quiz at the start to the workshop at the end. They all paid attention to the play itself and were therefore able to make sensible suggestions during the workshop. They even remained engaged until 3.05 - our day finishes at 3 o'clock."
"It was extremely engaging and the students said they enjoyed the session very much."
"Thank you so much, we really enjoyed it, students have given really good feedback too. It also tackled some really sensitive topics laced with humour!"
"A wonderful performance, exploring a range of topics that we can be difficult to get students to engage in through a normal classroom environment."