Director’s Blog – Lisa Charlotte Davis
As this story was the starting point for our toxic teen relationship-themed play, A is for Amy, this behaviour also features within our soon to be released film!!!
Here we see the phone used as a tool for control, with Amy’s boyfriend Dean constantly checking up on her whereabouts and whether or not she is doing things he approves of. This results in her social circle – and therefore the potential for support – significantly reducing as he is jealous and suspicious of her meeting up with her friends and family.
Within the play script this further develops into surveillance of her social media, expressing anger at any posts in which she has used make up with an accusation that she must be trying to attract other lads.
Mobile phones and social media are so normalised for young people these days, these behaviours can not register as controlling and abusive.
This makes it really important to give young people an opportunity to recognise that these kinds of behaviours are red flags of digital abuse and they do not have to tolerate them.
We’re so excited to be trialling both Sometimes it Hurts and A is for Amy in a range of North East schools and youth groups after Christmas.
If you’d be interested to hear when this content becomes more widely available, sign up to our mailing list – info@changingrelations.co.uk
For now, you can access Amy’s story Pay As You Feel via the fab website designed for us by Vida Creative.
Original illustration designed by Tamsin Rees.
