Masking
Booking now for 26th February - 27th March 2024
When the school’s lockdown alarm sounds everyone assumes it’s a drill. But soon a group of year 9 students find themselves stuck in a geography classroom with only Deputy Head Prefect Jamie to keep them under control. It becomes clear that the school is in lockdown because of an ‘incident’ with a pupil. While the group speculate as to the identity of the student and the nature of the ‘incident ‘it slowly emerges that, although no one’s talking about it, the students are all grappling with mental health issues of their own.
Holly’s obsessed with Instagram even though she knows it could be damaging her. The change of routine has neurodivergent Billy feeling overwhelmed. Alex is burdened with the responsibility of speaking up for all LGBTQ+ people. Nadia’s triggered to remember her distressing journey to the UK and Rosie’s terrified that the planet is dying. Jamie’s anxious, Dom’s worried about his sister and Nancy’s up on the roof.
Masking is a new play by Peer Productions’ Artistic Director Nina Lemon designed to address the impact of modern life on teenagers’ mental health.
‘We've got a school system with more high stakes tests than anywhere in Europe. We're connected twenty-four seven to everyone and everything. We can't switch off. There's been the first global pandemic in over a hundred years. There's wars and censorship and fake news. Everyone's worried about whether to put their heating on and the cost of food and on top of that we're literally living on a dying planet in the grip of climate change! It's not really surprising that our generation would be struggling. It's a sane response to an insane world.’
The play invites the audience to develop their empathy skills by stepping inside the different characters’ heads, discovering what they are masking and what’s happening beneath the surface.
The play and teachers’ resource pack covers the following topics:
- Understanding the impact of social media on mental health and self-image.
- Understanding Autism and how to support neurodivergent friends.
- Understanding how mental health issues can specifically affect people who are LGBTQ+.
- Understanding how school pressures and exam stress can lead to anxiety.
- Understanding how past trauma can affect people’s mental health.
- Understanding how climate-anxiety can affect wellbeing.
- Understanding the impact of having a family member experiencing a mental health crisis.
Ultimately the play asks young audiences to consider how they can build connections and find joy in this uncertain world as well as how they can know when they need to ask for help.
