CONNECTED is an hour long show created specifically for schools and students in years 6-12, as a tool to highlight the issues and effects surrounding cyber bullying.

CONNECTED is an energetic, fast paced, musical production with an edgy, contemporary soundtrack and a story that will resonate throughout schools and households everywhere. Performed by a vibrant, engaging young cast, the production will stimulate discussion and bring to light the sometimes unintended consequences of cyber activities if online relationships are not managed responsibly. CONNECTED is school incursion available to come to your school in 2015.

Pre and post show activities for teachers and students will be available that link to the PDHPE syllabus where issues of welfare, social interaction and personal responsibility are addressed.

Book CONNECTED school incursion 2015

Open the discussion with your students and raise awareness of the serious impact cyber bullying can have.

Involve parents in the discussion and book a Parent-Student performance outside school hours.

FREE Launch Event - Preview Performance http://www.connectedthemusical.com.au/ 

The Zenith Theatre - Chatswood, NSW
4pm, Monday 24th November 2014
Free event. Book now.

Bookings are essential! Spots are limited. See Shows page to book now.

Connected the Musical continues at the Pleasance Courtyard until 25 August.

This talented group of four young performers explore the agonies and the pressures in a world where we are permanently available, 24/7, through Facebook, Twitter and even good old-fashioned text messages. More than that, this show highlights that Twitter and Facebook have become the ‘newspaper’ for the generation with the world in the palm of their hand.

Through four stereotypical characters: ‘popular’ girl, ‘cool’ boy, ‘geeky’ boy and ‘the new girl’, the show exposes the danger of spreading rumours and false stories across the airwaves. A backing track of primarily rock-guitar style music is perhaps a little strong for the young voices, and wherever a backing track is used, it is impossible for a performance to grow and develop.

Craig Christie’s piece (he of Eurobeat fame) is a decent social commentary on the social media generation and I can see the merit in using it in schools as an instrument to explore cause and effect with young people.

I would like to have seen this show with simpler, live music to allow the performers to explore their characters more fully.

Fiona Orr

Musicals review

★★★★✩ Connected The Musical

OMG M8, MSG ME… online social networking may have brought the global community together at the swipe of a touch screen but it has killed the art of fulsome, erudite conversation. Thoughts are condensed to 140 characters, feelings crudely replicated as emoticons and vicious rumours circulated as unequivocal fact behind the mask of an online avatar.
Connected The Musical delves into the murky world of cyber bullying through the eyes of teenager Emma (Rose Shalloo), who arrives at her new school and quickly falls foul of queen bee Kate (Stephanie Hockley) simply because she shares a conversation with Kate’s old flame Michael (Joe Ashman).
‘There are rules and she needs to learn them,’ snarls Kate, sowing the seeds of a sickening smear campaign that ensnares socially awkward loner Dylan (Richard Lowe).

IMHOHO, Connected is a sensitively handled coming-of-modern-age story in stark contrast to playwright Craig Christie’s last Fringe hit, the feel-great musical satire Eurobeat, which poked merciless fun at a certain annual song contest and allowed the audience to vote for their favourite entry amidst a sea of faux-patriotic flag-waving. Some of his pop-rock compositions here are equally catchy and lyrically snappy, albeit with a strong undercurrent of angst, complemented by GR8 performances, particularly Lowe, who takes the roof off with one heart-rending solo.

His duet with Shalloo, which sees Dylan and Emma nervously attempt to make a leap of faith and declare their true feelings then falter at the last moment is sweet, touching and painfully real. I was ALOLALOLALOLALOL.

TTTTFN. Damon Smith

Until Aug 25, Pleasance Courtyard (V33), www.pleasance.co.uk 

Connected The Musical Premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Pleasance Theatre Trust

Venue space: Upstairs

Click onto the shows tab to find out performance times and ticket prices

CONNECTED THE MUSICAL

From the creator of the West End hit Eurobeat (winner Best Musical Edinburgh Fringe 2007) comes the rock and roll fable of four teenagers whose worlds spiral out of their control when real life collides with their lives online.

http://www.connectedthemusical.com.au/