We’re really pleased to be bringing back Object to secondary schools this week.
Object is a theatre presentation and workshop that explores some of the issues around pornography. It was inspired directly by discussions we had with young people during our REAL workshops – teenagers are desperate to talk about the various ways that porn affects their lives and relationships, but it can be a tricky subject for adults to tackle.
Here’s a short taster of the play featuring its previous cast:
This year, Object is being performed by 16-19 year-olds from Artemis College, a professional theatre school based at South Hill Park. These talented young people have fed in some brilliant insights and we’re excited to have them as partners.
It’s really important to us to be able to run this project. We know that most young people are now exposed to porn before having any real relationships, with a major study in 2016 finding that most teenage boys think porn is a realistic depiction of sex.
Using porn to find out about sex creates a potential minefield of unrealistic expectations and confusion on issues of respect and consent, putting pressure on both boys and girls at a vulnerable age. With Object, we aim to provoke honest discussion and create a much-needed safe space to talk about these burning issues.
A Year 12 student told us: “What Object does is tell young people that many others hold the same questions as they do, that actually things don’t have to be the way they appear, and gives them the confidence to start having the conversations that they need to in a safe and helpful environment.”
Object will be on tour around Wokingham’s secondary schools from 5-8 November.
