BRAINSTORM
A Middle School production about the teenage brain: part TED talk, part rave, part home
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Brainstorm – staged during October in the Sackville Theatre. Brainstorm was written by Ned Glasier and Emily Lim, adapted by the Sackville Society, and directed by Mrs Cordón Bates and Mr Henry, alongside two student assistant directors, Marjolaine Mauduit and Eva Wang.
Exploring the adolescent human brain’ s 86 billion neurons connecting and colliding to produce the most frustrating, exhilarating and chaotic changes every second, Brainstorm is part TED talk, part rave, part home. It is a unique theatrical investigation into how teenagers’ brains work, and why they’ re designed by evolution to be the way they are. Starting at Sackville Society sessions, we developed ideas together, until it grew into something meaningful. Loosely based on the actual play, this meant each of the cast could offer an unfiltered insight into their lives – both the good and the ugly – and provided an experience we could all relate to.
For two fantastic nights, the Sackville Theatre was transformed into a teenage bedroom, where through a series of short scenes, monologues, scientific interludes( and organised chaos!) it followed daily life at home and school for the cast.
The staging in the round enabled audience participation through games like Never Have I Ever, where, as the cast asked questions, the audience sat down if it didn’ t apply to them, leaving, by the end, a single person standing. The use of skilfully positioned projectors around the stage to mirror live phone screens on wardrobes made for an immersive experience and many laughs along the way.
The play was also a reminder of the mental health difficulties many teenagers face, and the peer pressure to do what other people are doing. That is why this performance was in support of YoungMinds, the UK’ s leading charity championing the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people around the UK.
Along with Brainstorm, in a double-bill performance, eight students from our partner school in Germany, the Goethe-Gymnasium Ibbenbüren, performed Die Falsche Prinzessin, a modern adaptation of the Cinderella story in German. The students had just joined us for a week of activities, so made a lasting impression with their contrasting performance.
Gabriel Lam, Year 10
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