An original play written and performed by seven Cochrane youth will tackle the complexities of mental health in a free performance this Saturday.
The Masks We Wear takes the stage at the RancheHouse Theatre at 2 p.m. The production is part of Mental Health Awareness Week programming and is presented by Sleeping Giants Theatre in collaboration with FCSS.
Jenny Austin, managing director of Sleeping Giants Theatre, said worked with bringing the ideas of the students to life in the play, which explores how people often hide their internal struggles behind outward appearances.
“We all kind of put on these faces that we show to the world, and not everybody gets to see what’s really going on for us,” said Austin. “In this play, we show what people are like in their lives, and then we zoom in to what’s really going on in their private life that they don’t show everybody.”
The story unfolds through the perspectives of seven characters on a bus that breaks down. Each character experiences the situation differently, offering a window into their personal challenges.
“They all have their own experience of dealing with what this means for them, and then the audience gets to see what’s really going on in their lives,” she said.
A question-and-answer session will follow the performance, offering the audience deeper insight into the characters and the creative process.
“The students will go through their process and talk a bit more about the characters they created and why,” said Austin. “So it'll be a mixed performance—part play, part deeper dive.”
The project began when Douw Vorster, a community development worker for mental health with Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), approached Austin with the idea of creating a production for Mental Health Week.
Vorster leads a community helpers program in local schools and saw the potential for theatre to raise awareness and foster conversation.
It aligned well with Sleeping Giants' approach of offering youth classes that conclude with a theatrical production.
You can get your tickets here.