Youngsters in Brentwood learn the reality of alcohol abuse

Safira Ali, Senior reporter Thursday, February 28, 2013
6.45 PM

Young people had a powerful and dramatic lesson about the reality of alcohol abuse.

Nearly 200 pupils from St Martin’s School watched a performance of Smashed, a theatre education production, which aims to give information and the consequences surrounding alcohol misuse.

Eric Pickles MP for Brentwood and Ongar was at the school to watch the performance of a group of friends whose misuse ends in tragedy.

The performance on Thursday morning was followed by a workshop where the Year 8 pupils could question the decisions of the characters, their motivations and how they could change the outcome of the story.

Chris Simes, from the Smashed programme, said: “Drama is a brilliant way to engage students around a topic and is a powerful means to connect with young people.”

Mr Pickles said: “Better education plays a vital part in tackling binge-drinking and irresponsible attitudes towards alcohol.

“Programmes like Smashed, which engage young people through drama, provide an interesting way to make some of these important issues more relevant.”