Youth musical tackles loneliness and mental health
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Chung Ying Theatre Company is staging the youth musical “Braving Lonely City!” on August 8 and 9 at the Jockey Club Auditorium of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, after recruiting about 38 young performers from Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung through its long-running “Muse Up! Youth Musical Theatre” initiative. The project is designed to help teenagers from districts with fewer arts opportunities explore mental health, loneliness and self-understanding through sustained theatre training and live performance.
Key Points
- Chung Ying Theatre Company’s Education and Outreach Department launched “Muse Up! Youth Musical Theatre” in 2012 for teenagers in Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung.
- This year’s musical “Braving Lonely City!” runs for two days from August 8 at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Jockey Club Auditorium.
- About 38 participants were recruited, with organisers encouraging siblings and group participation to build a family-like sense of belonging.
- Education and Outreach head Wong Chun-fai said theatre’s strength lies in in-person interaction, helping teenagers move beyond isolation shaped by phone use.
- Partnering with the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, the programme included workshops, VR hallucination simulations, a Castle Peak Hospital visit and “human library” exchanges.
Why It Matters
The programme reflects growing concern that teenagers lack formal social interaction and may become trapped in online isolation, worsening loneliness and emotional strain. By combining arts training with mental health education and cross-district exposure, organisers hope to reduce stigma, broaden horizons and help young people feel seen in the real world.