Birds and Bees

This punchy production for young people combines fiery spoken word, sophisticated cinematography and an electric soundtrack to demystify the messy nuances surrounding sex education.

Left alone within the confines of a detention room, four students deliberate over a recent school sexting scandal. This acts as a frame through which to focus on weightier subjects such as gender inclusivity, mental health, consent, toxic masculinity, feminism, pornography and internet safety.

Through defending their own agendas and unpicking each other’s differing points of view, the students begin to understand intersectionality and the inadequacy of their sex education.

Moi Tran’s set is brought to life by the pulsing beat of Xana’s sound design, alongside Damilola Fashola’s stylised choreography and moments of surreal, vibrant cinematography.

Ida Regan’s spirited performance as both a nerd and a locker-room thug is particularly notable and EM Williams, as the outspoken non-binary student, brings a composed eloquence to their condemnation of the heteronormative and patriarchal curriculum.

Charlie Josephine’s play, ably directed by Rob Watt and perfectly timed to coincide with the return to schools, makes for a satisfying symbiosis of entertainment, education and activism. Birds and Bees encapsulates the agonising angst of being a teenager while igniting essential discussions about contemporary sex issues that the UK’s archaic education system is lamentably void of.