Schoolchildren from Cobham have staged two plays raising awareness of the issues surrounding body image.

Students aged 14 to 17 from ACS Cobham international school took part in the project, performing in front of an audience of 220.

Sophie Cairns, 17, gave a powerful performance in The Date, a one-woman play about a girl who at first appears to be preparing for a date. As the play progresses, however, the audience discovers that she is in hospital suffering from bulimia.

Sophie said: “Bulimia and body image are issues that affect everyone in our western society, and are so prevalent in my age category. It is important to raise awareness of this... As a solo performer I had to work hard to connect with the audience and effectively portray the severity of the issues.”

On the same night, a group of 10 students performed the Beauty Manifesto, which imagines a world where teenagers celebrate their birthdays by getting plastic surgery, questioning our own ideas about beauty and physical conformity.

Darryl Nel, head of arts at the school, said the plays would help to raise the students’ confidence.

“Both of the plays really address the importance that we try to demonstrate to our students about appreciating ourselves and other individuals,” he said.