Inside every adolescent brain, 86 billion neurons are firing, rewiring and colliding, creating the whirlwind of change that makes the teenage years both exhilarating and overwhelming.

A new youth production, Brainstorm, dives straight into that chaos with honesty, humour and heart.

Created in collaboration with renowned neuroscientists Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Dr Kate Mills, Brainstorm is a groundbreaking theatrical investigation into how teenagers think, feel and behave – and why their brains are designed by evolution to be this way. The script serves as a blueprint for a company of young people to shape with their own real-life stories, and that’s exactly what a passionate group of local teens has been doing.

“Teenagers are navigating enormous internal changes, and as a community we often forget how intense that can feel,” said director Sally Davis.

“This play gives young people a voice and invites adults to better understand the incredible complexity of the teenage brain. We need more awareness, more compassion, and more space for them to be heard – and most importantly, to be accepted exactly as they are.”

Davis says the cast has poured their truth into the work, creating a powerful and deeply personal performance.

Step inside the teenage mind. Brainstorm is a youth theatre production that blends science and storytelling, revealing why adolescence is chaotic, emotional and full of risk. Performed by a talented ensemble of local teenagers, the play weaves cutting-edge neuroscience with real stories of friendship, family and growing up.

It’s a show for anyone who has loved a teenager – or who remembers what it was like to be one.