This team consists of students from the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. We aim to use participatory theatre experiences to promote interaction, dialogue, and collaboration among people, thereby achieving the goals of community cohesion and education/training.
As such, we created an educational theatre performance focusing on the theme of cyberbullying and invited the audience to participate. The performance presented the issue of cyberbullying through two storylines and incorporated interactive elements to engage the audience. This participatory experience helped the audience gain a deeper understanding of and connection to the themes presented in the theatre, encouraged them to reflect on cyberbullying from multiple perspectives, and inspired them to propose solutions and take action.
The program targeted teenagers as the primary audience and was co-organized by the Hong Kong Playground Association. In July, two theatre workshops and performances were held in secondary schools, focusing on raising awareness of youth cyberbullying. The audience was composed entirely of junior secondary school students.
Cyberbullying has caused severe negative impacts on the mental health and social development of adolescents, an issue that deserves our serious attention. Applied theatre, as an innovative and unique form of expression, plays a vital role in exploring and presenting social issues.
In educational theatre, the audience is not only able to watch the performance but can also improvise and participate by playing different roles, advancing the storyline together. Actors set up simulated scenarios of cyberbullying on the spot, and the audience can choose to intervene, taking on the roles of victims, bystanders, or perpetrators to interact with the actors. Additionally, we arranged for professional social workers to engage with students after the performance, answer their questions, and provide appropriate mental health counseling.
This project allows students, through immersive participation, to gain a more direct understanding of the psychological impact of cyberbullying on individuals. It also encourages them to reflect on their possible reactions and choices in similar situations.