Time for The Toon

PREPARATIONS are in hand for this year's showing of The Toon, a bold, youth led drama production that uses fictional town settings to dive into real world challenges young adults are facing now.

This whole production is led by the Youth Enquiry Service and will take place as part of Youth Beatz on June 28-9 at Park Farm Showfield, Dumfries. It aims to provide knowledgeable, straightforward information about issues affecting people ages 14 to 25.

The young performers of The Toon recently just wrapped up their two week intensive camp where they took place in many immersive workshops while planning and developing shows and set designs so new challenges can be explored and dissected. The course was filled with performance training, script writing, vocal coaching, costume design, set production as well as different workshops on topics affecting youth today. This year the drama production will be featuring a powerful new story on cardiac health and using defibrillators in an emergency situation. The group has been working closely with the DH9 foundation to develop this scene and learn more about the issues facing cardiac health in young people.

More than just a stage production, The Toon is a thriving community that gives young people a platform to express themselves, share experiences, and grow together. Dayle Smith, an 18 year old peer educator, describes his experience at The Toon life changing.