Youth production targets social media influences

British playwright Chris Cooper's production Who Am I? will be performed by the DR. Youth Theatre at Beijing's Drum Tower West Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, with two shows a day.

The play explores the digital world as a parallel space, where the young often experience cyberbullying and identity crises of which their parents and teachers are not aware.

A classroom confrontation sets the stage as a student challenges her teacher's authority. Criticized by the teacher and then bullied by her classmates, she pours ink on one of the bullies and runs away to a parallel space, an empty classroom, where she is able to hear her classmates' inner thoughts.

Through this combination of sci-fi setting and realistic topics, the play leads the audience on an exploration of social media's impact on teenagers, and offers insights into understanding the complex realities of adolescent life.

Under the direction of Chen Yuan, performers from the youth theater, who are aged between 8 and 13, were encouraged to participate in the creative process by developing their own characters, contributing writing and artwork to the production, and sharing their perspectives.

"I believe that 'Who am I' is a question everyone has asked themselves. This philosophical question, that should have been resolved a long time, has become an everyday topic in today's social media," Chen says.

Addressing concerns fueled by technology and social media, such as peer pressure and cybersecurity, especially those children cannot discuss with their parents, Chen worked with Cooper, an expert in educational theater, on creating the production.

The DR. Youth Theatre is composed of the young graduates of theater education organization Drama Rainbow Education, who completed courses for 3- to 8-year-olds and wished to stay to express their views and realize their creative potential. As of April, the troupe had put on 18 productions.