A theatre company has put together a series of plays tackling the sensitive subject of children and divorce. The plays were written by Susie Stead during workshops with pupils from several schools in the Oxfordshire area. Several pupils from Wood Farm, Windmill primary St Andrew’s and Bayards Hill will be taking part in the plays as part of the Walking on Eggshells project, which is run by the WhatMatters theatre group and Oxfordshire Family Mediation. Some of the pupils involved in the project have experienced their parents separating, which has given them chance to express how it feels when your parents divorce.
The purpose of the plays is to raise awareness of how children feel when their parents get divorced, and the effects divorce can have on the family. A taboo subject for many, divorce can change a child’s behaviour and lifestyle, often not discussed by the children with friends or family members. Hugh Turner, the Co-Director from WhatMatters Theatre said:
This felt like a natural stage because it is another of those areas which gets occasionally touched on, but it is not something schools would naturally talk about.
The theatre company have also tackled the subjects of drugs and bullying, which also have huge effects on children but rarely discussed in school. Two of the topics included in the plays are a child who spends each weekend with different parents, and a boy who becomes addicted to the television when his parents separate. After each play is shown to year six pupils at each of the mentioned schools, a discussion will take place.
Getting divorced is traumatic for adults, but they often have a support network in place with either friends or family providing comfort and advice. Children are often inadvertently left to cope, not knowing who to talk to about their feelings. The plays that are being put together by this group may raise awareness of the effects of divorce on children, making it easier for their friends to support them and offer understanding.