It’s a question that has plagued parents since time immemorial: how do I reach out to my teenager?

Lost in a whirl of new sensations, peer pressure and hormonal thrills and thralls, adult advice goes unheeded, lectures fall on deaf ears and threats are taken up as a challenge.

But with risk-taking high up on the adolescent to-do list, how do we get the importance of making positive life choices across?

Enter Love Drunk, a fast-paced, action-packed theatre performance that’s as engaging as it is educational.

Hitting the Centre of Contemporary Arts stage for a free performance on March 16, Love Drunk explores the impacts of partying, risk taking, sexual assault, and binge drinking.

Staged by Melbourne-based dance theatre company Phunktional, Love Drunk uses humour, rap and breakdancing to tell the stories of three teenagers who experience alcohol and drug use, as well as sexual assault.

The performance is open to adults and young people aged 14 and up.

Local performers from Biddigal Performing Arts and hip-hop crew Cypher will open the evening, while a panel featuring Love Drunk actors and health and legal professionals will engage with the audience after the curtain falls.

Artistic Director of Phunktional Gerard Veltre called the show “a lot of fun.”

“We’re currently touring to schools around far north Queensland from the Torres Strait, to the Tablelands, Tully and around Cairns.

“As we are performing in schools during the day, we wanted to do a special nighttime show for parents and the wider community.

“Whenever we have done this in other parts of Australia the adult audiences have loved the show and found it engaging, entertaining and insightful.”

In addition to the shows, Phunktional have been providing circus and dance workshops in the Torres Strait and the Tablelands, with workshop participants performing onstage in Horn Island and Atherton.

Drunk Love will be staged at Centre of Contemporary Arts from 6pm on March 16. It’s a free show, but you'll need to book by clicking here to secure a seat.