Photo Jeff ‘Brainfade’ Dawson
Inside every adolescent brain, billions of neurons are firing and rewiring, shaping the intense and often overwhelming experience of being a teenager.
For ten local young people, that inner chaos has become the subject of performance in Brainstorm, a youth production coming to the Drill Hall Theatre in Mullumbimby on 10, 11, and 12 April.
The play invites audiences inside the teenage mind, drawing on real experiences of anxiety, identity, friendship, and family conflict.
Written by Emily Lim and Ned Glasier in collaboration with neuroscientists Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Dr Kate Mills, Brainstorm was designed to be adapted by young performers using their own stories.
Youth voice
Under the direction of local director and actor Sally Davis, the cast has spent months reshaping the script through rehearsals and shared writing. The result is a deeply personal work that blends humour, vulnerability, and insight.
Ms Davis said the play had evolved into something closer to a collective memoir than a traditional production.
‘These teenagers are navigating enormous internal changes, and as a community we often forget how intense that can feel,’ she said.
‘This play gives young people a voice and invites adults to better understand the complexity of the teenage brain.’
The production had humble beginnings.
Last year, Brainstorm was staged in the food hall at the Mullumbimby Showground after the group struggled to access a formal theatre space.
With donated lighting, a borrowed sound system, and rows of plastic chairs, the cast transformed the warehouse into a makeshift stage.
Previously sold out
Despite the limitations, the response was overwhelming.
‘We completely sold out. People were cramming in under the roller door to see it,’ Ms Davis said.
Audiences responded with standing ovations, with many visibly moved by the honesty of the performances.
For the young cast, that reaction was significant. In a culture where teenagers are often dismissed, the production showed that their voices could resonate strongly when given space.
Central to the play is the idea that the teenage brain is wired for intensity, with emotional centres highly active while decision-making regions are still developing.
This year’s return season has brought new challenges. About eight weeks ago, Ms Davis became ill and feared the production might not go ahead. Instead, the cast stepped up.
‘I said, “I don’t think I can do the show,” and the teenagers said, “We’ll do it”,’ she said.
Since then, they have continued rehearsing independently, supported by Ms Davis when possible, determined to bring the production back to the community.
‘What moves me most is seeing these young people stand up and say, “This is who we are… and we deserve to be understood, not judged”,’ she said.
Tickets
Brainstorm will be performed at the Drill Hall Theatre on April 10 (7-8pm), April 11 (7-8pm) and April 12 (1-2pm).
For more information and to book your tickets visit the theatre’s website: www.drillhalltheatre.org.au.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
