Summer Theater Group Tackles Tough Teen Issues

Talking to kids about the challenges they face often elicits a reply of "I don't want to talk about it," but a group of local high school students staging a play by that very name say they're ready to help others start to talk.

The students, participants in a theater training program at Allegra School of Music and Arts note the two plays they're staging Friday and Saturday at Auten Road Intermediate School—Bradley Hayward's "Note to Self" and "I Don't Want to Talk About It"—tackle bullying, suicide and more in a way the students say has meaning to them.

"I know a lot of these one-act, high school plays turn out cheesy, but not these plays," Rachel Underberg-Davis said. 

The plays also offer the students opportunities to stretch—the series of vignettes and scenes, some solo, some ensemble, call for hundreds of individual parts so the students take on multiple roles.

"Because the plays are short scenarios, I think everyone in the audience can find someone they can relate to," Sarah Kulick said.

Director Nicky Singer has been helping the students polish their stage presence, while encouraging them to try new ideas. She gave them opportunities to explore staging possibilities—even connected them to playwright Hayward for a Skype interview that gave even him pause at the students' performances.

"There were scenes that he pushed back away from his desk and said, 'Whoa—I hadn't thought of it that way,' " she said.

That's why she's calling the show the "must-see theater ticket of the summer"—but there is more to it than the great performances of the students.

The show is being produced in hopes of getting teens to actually "talk about it," to discuss their fears and hopes with friends and family members. Allegra owner Donnetta Johnson said she hopes after seeing the shows, kids, parents and everyone will "come out en masses to see this."

"These are plays that are built to show off the incredible talents of these students but also open up the possibilities of conversations that offer chances at healing and understanding," she said. "It's essential that we bring as many people as we can to these performances. We want them to laugh, we want them to listen, and when it's over, we want them to talk about it."

Shows start at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday night. Tickets are $10 in advance (available online at Allegra School's website), or $12 at the door. Some of the proceeds from the plays will be donated to BoroSAFE, the community effort to reduce the instances of suicide and suicide attempts in Hillsborough.