A POWERFUL play about alcohol misuse is to tour North-East secondary schools in the coming weeks.

Pupils at 29 schools across the region will watch and then discuss Smashed, a theatre education programme, sponsored by Diageo GB and performed by Collingwood Learning.

The performance and interactive workshop has been developed with young people and helps pupils understand the facts, causes, and consequences surrounding alcohol misuse and the risks of underage drinking.

The cast of Smashed delivers this hard-hitting show to pupils, by telling the story of a group of friends whose misuse of alcohol ends in tragedy.

The performance is followed by an interactive workshop, where young people are able to question the decisions of characters and change the outcome of the story.

Over the coming months Smashed will be visiting schools across the region to challenge young people’s attitudes to alcohol and empower them to make informed decisions.

Chris Simes, from Collingwood learning, said: “Drama is a brilliant way to connect with young people.

"The Smashed performance effectively portrays the risks of alcohol misuse and the interactive workshop captures the pupils’ attention and can help to transform their knowledge, behaviour and attitudes by really getting under the skin of the issues.”

Mark Baird, head of industry affairs at Diageo GB, which has sponsored the programme for the past 10 years said: “We believe that young people need to be educated to make informed decisions about alcohol consumption in the future.

"Although we are encouraged to see that national statistics continue to report a significant decline in alcohol consumption amongst young people, there is always more to be done to tackle issues surrounding alcohol misuse.”