Scotch College

Voices: The Carrical Project

WORDS: SAM BOURKE, ANDREW HUMMERSTON AND JAMES McPHEE (Year 11) and project publicists

Devised by Year 11 and 12 students, Voices tackles the stigma of mental illness and addiction.

This year boys in the Drama Services program have been working to create a performance that tells the stories of the residents of Carrical, a rooming house for people on low incomes, many of whom suffer from a mental illness. The project aims to build awareness and empathy within our community.

Working with the community group Servants in Hawthorn, boys have been speaking with residents and developing scripts which will be performed in the Fringe Festival this year. The production of Voices will take place in the Cramond Studio this September break and involves Scotch boys in a number of areas as performers, set builders and publicists.

This unique performance explores the lives and struggles of the Carrical residents and tackles some of the issues which surround mental illness. The project has provided boys with a wonderful opportunity and we look forward to an insightful and dynamic show. Details appear on the Scotch website in August. GS