Turning teen angst into a show-stopping performance

A school production that had modest origins is set to strike the bright lights when it gets a central-city staging.

Called Parting Stage, the show, performed by Aorere College students, will open at the Herald Theatre tomorrow night.

The production met rave reviews from parents and students alike when originally performed at the Mangere Arts Centre in July.

Now it’s been picked up by Auckland Live, which presents live arts and entertainment events across Auckland.

Parting Stage centres on five students as they navigate the struggles of friendship, family and growing up in the age of social media. It was written and produced by student and lead actress Kaylene Te Wake and former student Joegen Daniels.

Cris Cucerzan, an Aorere College English teacher and writing supervisor for the show, said they hoped to tell "stories that reflect them and their version of the world.

"I think it's worth paying attention to that because it teaches us empathy.”

For wider audiences, that meant becoming more aware of different voices among our youth instead of accepting stereotypical notions that we receive from the media, he said.

Duane Hapimana, one of the main actors, believed the story was relatable to a wide range of audiences. "One of the main reasons we wanted to do it was that this [issues with growing up] actually happens - there are kids that don't know what life after high school's gonna be like.”

He said: "When we first did our show in July, it was kind of a beautiful moment to see parents saying, 'Wow, I think I can actually understand my child now and how they must be feeling and what they must be going through at such a young age, having no idea what to do [and] no one to talk to’."

One such parent agreed. Said mother-of-three Sandra Aukino, the show was one "all parents with teens must watch!"

Her comments were backed up by Mr Cucerzan, who explained: "Most teenagers will be going through these questions that these kids are asking themselves: about what they want to do with their future, about how they can both please their parents and make sure that they're achieving what their own dreams are, and also fit through the school system, which isn't necessarily conducive to their own world view."

Johanna Smith, a lecturer at the Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts, said school productions were important for identifying what stories you want to tell.

“It raises self-esteem, how to work together, how to negotiate, how to tell your stories. It helps you to identify what is important to you, how to communicate, to reach your potential and to learn empathy. [It promotes] the sharing of ideas, of lives, stories [and] people.”

Parting Stage opens at the Herald Theatre at 7.30pm tomorrow, and runs again on Friday at the same time. Tickets are available here.