STEPHEN Pike, program manager at The Q, Queanbeyan, is not afraid of a tough play.

In the coming week, he’s bringing in “April’s Fool”, the real-life story of Toowoomba teenager, Kristjan Terauds, who died in April 2009 after complications from illicit drug use.

Director Lewis Jones of Empire Theatre Projects Company heard the story from a mutual friend and that the boy’s father, David Terauds, kept a journal documenting the experience and, on approach, allowed the company to bring Kristjan’s story to the stage.

“I recognised that it would be a story that would make real connections to Toowoomba as well as other regional communities,” Jones said.

Playwright David Burton was commissioned by the Empire Theatre Projects Company to bring the story together.

“I actually picked it [the journal] up over breakfast thinking I would just read a part of it. I was still there four or five hours later,” Burton said, describing it as “an astonishingly well written document and such a testament to his son”.

Jones says: “In presenting ‘April’s Fool’ our aim is not to present an argument for or against drug use, but rather to encourage debate and discussion about the choices we make and the consequences of our actions.”

The play, which runs 80 minutes with no interval, is suitable for both young people and adults.

“April’s Fool” at the Q, Queanbeyan, May 15, 16 and 17. Bookings to 6285 6290.