A POWERFUL theatre show touring schools is helping youngsters across Ayrshire open up about bullying.

Production ‘Hope’ by the Dalyrmple based performance group Take Away theatre confronts stigmas around bullying to help kids understand.

The show has been adapted since its 2007 debut to tackle the now all too common, cyber-bullying which can destroy lives.

‘Hope’ sees characters play out the story of a successful pop star who returns to her home town, who faces an old school bully, who brings back painful memories of her childhood and the systematic abuse and bullying she suffered at the hands of a classmate.

The thought-provoking story aims for its young audience and teaching staff to think about the devastating impact of bullying from a young age.

Producer and Workshop Leader Lee O’Driscoll said: “We want to do two things really, give young people a strategy to cope with bullying, encourage them to open up and speak to someone.

There always seemed to be a black and white way of looking at bullying. We wanted to change that. We reflect on what was going on in the bully’s life, what’s going on behind closed doors, in our story the bully is having a tough time at home with abuse from their dad, there’s stuff going on in their life too.”

The play has been powerful enough to help brave victims of bullying come forward to teachers, after the show.

Associate Producer and Workshop Leader Hazel May MacGregor said: “Some schools we go to on a yearly basis, we’ve had teachers tell us that after the show one or two kids would go to them and say they’ve been bullied.

“When you hear that, it’s a job well done in our eyes.

“If we can help them feel it’s safe to speak to someone, show them that they can trust to speak to someone, we feel we’re making a real difference.”

The 45-minute drama ends on a cliff hanger which is followed up closely by workshops to ask the children whether they would sit next to their bully on a train after knowing the full story.

And the performances have evoked an emotional response from some teachers who have cried whilst watching the play.

Hazel added: “It’s important to reinforce the message all the time. We also give staff members a huge amount to think about, in a way we are educating staff members as well.”