A group of nine teenagers, aged 15 to 17, from schools across Ballarat have teamed up with local performance company Mad Swan to deliver a play on these hard-hitting topics.

Chatroom tells the story of a young boy who is bullied by his brothers and seeks refuge online, only to be encouraged by his new cyber friends to take his own life.

Mad Swan has teamed up with Headspace and Ballarat Community Health to ensure the play helps change opinions and challenge behaviours, with a panel discussion following each performance and take-home materials for audience members.

Actor Rachael Shelton, 16, a student at Phoenix P-12 Community College, said cyber-bullying was an issue at every school.

“There’s not a school where this doesn’t happen to students,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people saying things they think are a joke, but they’re not a joke to some people.

“This play will hopefully get people to become proactive and change the way people are using the internet.”

Director Alexandra Meerbach said switching off from social media wasn’t an option for many teenagers, as that instead led to social isolation.

She said a play like Chatroom, writing by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, was a powerful way of communicating coping strategies rather than the usual one-way lecture from teacher to student.

“I could safely say a lot of teenagers just switch off (with that technique),” she said.

“How can we expect people to help or break cycles, (and) how do teens stop bullying?”

Mad Swan creative director Mary-Rose McLaren said the play importantly challenged the role of the bystander to help.

Chatroom will be performed at the Post Office Box Theatre in Camp Street from June 15 to 18. Tickets available via www.trybooking.com/LLWF

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