When Paul de la Cruz is bullied at school, he finds little support from either absentee parents or the school authorities. So he starts making up survival rules for himself, playing out his own fantasies in computer games and martial arts. The Black Snake Triad offers Paul a chance to enact his fantasies for real, and he begins to spiral out of control. As the boundaries of fantasy and reality blur, what hope is there for Paul’s redemption?

Play To Win is a contemporary, accessible and thought-provoking story which shows the temptations and perils every adolescent faces in school today. Using trance music, martial arts (with Gold medallist Tom Wu) and digital technology, this action-packed production focuses on the demands of peer pressure, gang culture and most of all, the need to belong.

Sainsbury’s Checkout Theatre Winner 1999

Creative team

Writer & Director: David KS Tse