“THE PLAY©” is a Young Adult novel that has already transitioned beyond the page, with two live musical productions successfully completed, featuring 18 original songs written by author Brian Montgomery. The project now exists as both a book and a live performance model, with growing interest from schools, youth hubs and community organisations across the UK. The long-term trajectory also includes development for television, enhancing this multimedia franchise's reach and sustainability.
Brian Montgomery’s bold vision unites the projected 15-part series of socially relevant, youth-focused titles in a way that genuinely cuts through. Written straight from the heart, with themes that are both eternal and utterly contemporary - and a cast of characters that will live long in the memory – this first novel in the franchise is already proven to change lives!
Harry Groves was ten years old when the world decided he didn't matter.
At school, he was the kid everyone picked on. At home, he was the kid who learned to stay quiet when fists flew and bottles smashed. He was hungry more often than not, exhausted all the time, and somehow still expected to protect the one person who mattered more than anything else - his seven-year-old autistic little sister, Sara, and her one-eyed teddy, Bear.
Sara didn't understand the shouting, the chaos, or why home never felt safe. She didn't understand fear the way Harry did. But Harry understood it all too well, and he learned quickly that if he didn't stand between her and the world, nobody else would.
Then came the day everything changed.
The day Harry lost Sara at the hands of the very people who were meant to keep her safe.
Her death didn't just break him - it lit a fuse.
Years later, carrying grief like a constant ache in his chest and clinging to his promise to look after Bear, Harry finds a way to turn pain into purpose. What starts as a fragile idea becomes something bigger than he ever imagined: THE PLAY© - a raw, fearless youth musical where kids like him don't sit quietly at the back anymore. They step into the spotlight. They rehearse. They sing. They dance. They perform. And, for the first time, they are truly heard.
But THE PLAY© is more than a performance.
Built into the heart of the project are trauma-informed mental health workshops, giving young people safe, structured spaces to talk about what they're carrying - bullying, cyberbullying, racism, loneliness, domestic violence, gangs, antisocial behaviour, grief, anxiety, anger, and the desperate need to belong. Through creativity, shared experience, and guided support, the cast begin to understand themselves and each other in ways that school, social services, and the system never managed.
Told in Harry's raw, funny and heartbreakingly honest voice, THE PLAY© is the first book in a powerful YA series where every cast member has a story worth telling - and every story matters. It's about broken kids finding strength, about chosen family, and about learning that survival doesn't have to be the end of the story.
With two live productions already completed and the project gaining momentum far beyond the page, THE PLAY© is no longer just a novel - it's a movement, and one that is already attracting serious interest as a future TV drama.
This is a story about pain, yes - but more than that, it's about hope, courage, and what can happen when young people are finally given the space to speak. Once the curtain rises, there's no going back.
Writer Brian Montgomery takes up this very personal story, “THE PLAY© wasn’t created as a 'project'. It was created as a response. A few years ago, my son experienced bullying, and it reinforced something I already knew from lived experience: a young person can be doing “fine' on the outside, while quietly falling apart inside. School pressure, online abuse, and social exclusion can damage confidence and mental health faster than most adults realise — and too often, support arrives late.”
So, Brian began writing THE PLAY© to give young people a voice, and more importantly, a safer pathway forward. The programme tackles the real issues impacting young people today, including bullying and cyberbullying; youth mental health and emotional resilience; gang pressure and knife carrying; antisocial behaviour and early offending; underage vaping and alcohol use; identity, belonging, racism, and peer pressure.
Brian continues, “THE PLAY© is designed to be more than a performance. Young people don’t just watch it — they take part in it. They rehearse, learn discipline, build teamwork, and experience what it feels like to be part of something positive, structured, and real.
“Importantly, THE PLAY© also creates space for change. Even young people who have caused harm— including bullies and young offenders — can be supported to take responsibility, rebuild identity, and earn trust through commitment and contribution.”
Based on young people’s experiences, “THE PLAY” bridges the gap between youth work and creativity. It offers not only a movement built to grow, but with limited funding available for preventative youth programmes, Brian is using his creative work to help sustain and expand delivery. His new publications — TY and the long-awaited THEPLAY novel (Book One of a planned 15-book series) — are designed not only to entertain, but to help fund future musical productions and workshops among young people 10-21 years of age.
THE PLAY is available to purchase now in Kindle and Paperback editions: https://tinyurl.com/5x8pam2j
There is also a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the musicals: https://gofund.me/b63bd3e93
About the Author:
Brian S Montgomery is a creator, writer and executive producer of THE PLAY© — a youth-led musical and mental health/wellbeing programme designed to support young people through early intervention, creativity, structure and belonging.
Raised in South London, Brian experienced hardship early in life. He experienced family breakdown, instability, periods of homelessness and drug abuse. Like many young people growing up in survival mode, he was exposed to environments where violence, gangs, and fear became normalised. During those years, his dyslexia and mental health struggles went undiagnosed, and he faced addiction and the heavy consequences that often come with being unsupported and unheard.
Writing became the turning point. It gave Brian a way to make sense of what he had lived through —and to turn pain into something useful. His first self-published book, “Degsy Hay: A Juvenile Redeemed” (Amazon), reflects the reality of growing up in the system and the long road back from trauma, shame, and exclusion.
Over the past 30 years, Brian has built a respected professional career supported by strong qualifications, including a Graduate Certificate in Community Services, Master’s degree, a Graduate Diploma in Health and Safety (Edith Cowan University), a Graduate Certificate in Community Services, and diplomas in Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD). He is also a qualified Trainer and Assessor and holds Mental Health FirstAid certification.
Alongside his professional work, Brian founded The Hay Patrollers — a youth crime-prevention and community-engagement initiative that supported at-risk young people through mentoring, accountability, and positive visibility in local communities.
Find out more at www.brymonpromotions.com under Youth.
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