21/02/2026
🎭 5-STAR REVIEW – WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I am proud to share that The Play has received a 5-star review. This is not just a personal milestone as an author — it is a powerful moment for every young person who has ever felt bullied, silenced, pressured, or alone.
THIS BOOK IS MORE THAN A STORY. IT IS A MOVEMENT. PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE BOOK WILL GO TOWARDS PRODUCING MORE YOUTH MUSICAL SHOWS.
Author Interview – Brian Montgomery
The Play follows Harry as he survives a violent childhood and devastating loss, then transforms his grief into a grassroots, youth-led musical movement that fights bullying and bigotry. What made you choose a story that refuses to soften the early trauma?
I chose not to soften the trauma because too many young people are living it every single day, and society often prefers not to look at it.
Knife carrying. Gang grooming. Bullying that does not stop at the school gates follows children home through their phones. Loneliness sits quietly in bedrooms behind closed doors. Mental health struggles are hidden behind bravado. Children are va**ng at twelve. Drinking at thirteen. Being pulled towards drugs because someone older made it look like belonging.
When we dilute trauma in fiction, we dilute reality. And reality for many young people is not polished. It is raw, frightening and confusing.
I grew up around violence and instability. I saw what happens when pain is ignored. But everything changed when my own son experienced bullying. As a parent, that is your worst nightmare. You feel helpless, angry and protective all at once. You replay every conversation in your mind wondering what you missed.
That experience made me realise that bullying is not simply a school issue. It is a mental health crisis. It can plant seeds of shame, isolation and self-doubt that last for years.
Harry’s trauma is not included for shock value. It is there so young readers who are suffering quietly understand that they are not weak, they are not alone and their pain is real. It is also there so adults — teachers, youth workers, police and parents — understand that behaviour often comes from unprocessed trauma.
When a young person carries a knife, it is rarely because they want to harm someone. It is often because they are afraid.
If we do not confront the rawness, we will never address the root causes.
The book blends prose, lyrics and the behind-the-scenes build of a show. How did you approach writing the original songs, so they carry emotional weight?
Every song in The Play was written by me from lived emotion. I did not approach the lyrics as entertainment. I approached them as conversations that young people are often too afraid to say out loud.
When writing songs like “Laura’s Song” and the redemption anthems within the show, I asked myself difficult questions. What is the child being bullied thinking at 2 am? What is the young boy pressured to carry a knife really feeling? What is the girl being cyberbullied thinking as she scrolls through cruel comments in silence?
The lyrics had to feel honest. Not polished pop songs, but confessions.
Music reaches places that speeches cannot. A workshop can open dialogue, but a song can unlock tears. It bypasses ego and allows young people to sing what they cannot say.
Each lyric serves a psychological purpose. Some validate feelings. Some demand accountability. Others create belonging. Many aim to empower. When young people perform these songs, they are not just acting — they are reclaiming their voice.
In a world where cyberbullying silences and gangs recruit through fear, voice is power.
What do you most hope teens — and the adults who work with them — take away from Harry’s choices?
For teenagers, I hope they see that pain does not have to define them. Harry could have chosen anger. He could have chosen revenge. He could have chosen gangs. Instead, he chose leadership. He chose art. He chose to build something meaningful.
I want young people to understand that vulnerability is not weakness. Asking for help is not weakness. Walking away from a gang is not weakness. It is courage.
For adults, the message is equally clear. Prevention must be creative, not reactive. When we only respond after violence, we are already too late.
Young people need safe spaces. They need mentors. They need creative outlets and structured belonging. They need mental health support without stigma.
When my son experienced bullying, it shook me deeply. I realised that if it could happen in my family, it is happening everywhere. I did not want to complain about the system. I wanted to build something that helps change it.
The arts are not a luxury. They are intervention.
When a child is rehearsing, they are not standing on a street corner. When they are writing lyrics, they are not scrolling through hate. When they are performing, they are not va**ng behind a bike shed.
They are seen. They are heard. They are valued.
If The Play inspires even one young person to put down a knife, step away from a gang, or speak up about bullying, then it has done its job.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support this journey. This 5-star review belongs to every young person brave enough to choose a stage instead of a street corner.
