Sobering Show
BY DANALINE BRYANT
Messenger Staff Writer
Isaac Smith likes to make people laugh. He’s played a comedic role in every play he’s acted in, but when he takes the Athens High School stage Thursday night, no one will be laughing.
The Athens High School drama department will present a thoughtful, sobering look into a troubled teenager’s mind in its production of “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead.” Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
“Bang, Bang, You’re Dead” is a 1999 one-act play written by William Mastrosimone to raise awareness of school violence and its causes. Mastrosimone has said it’s “a drama to be performed by kids, for kids, for free.”
Other members of the cast are Dana Bauman, Ellie Dudding, Rachel Couch, Chris Denhart, Andrew Gibbons, Turner Matthews, Emily Butcher, Taylor Grueser, Joshelyn Smith, Jason Snoddy, Alison Smith and Laura Tobar.
The play tells the story of Josh, a high school student who murders his parents and five classmates. It is based on the events surrounding Kip Kinkel’s deadly rampage of May 20, 1998, when he killed his parents and two classmates and wounded 25 other students at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore.
Mastrosimone has never charged for the play, and he’s made it available for public download on the Internet in a package that includes the script, a letter from the playwright, character notes and more.
“In this play, we’re not doing a comedy piece as we’ve done in the past,” said Smith, a senior who plays the lead role of Josh. “I’ve primarily been in comedies. My job has always been to get out there and make people laugh. I won’t be making anyone laugh with this show. … Our goal is to show the mindset of a teen who shot people at his school, to show what might be going on in the mind to make someone do such a terrible thing. It’s a 40-minute, one-act play. Josh is in his cell being haunted by all the people he’s killed. … We’ve never done a play with subject matter as intense as this is.”
As the audience enters the theater area, they will pass by museum-type exhibits of school shootings. After the play, a question-and-answer session will be held as the actors remain in character. It will be moderated by Kathleen Kutsko, a licensed professional counselor at Good Vibrations Wellness Center. Richard Crossen, Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer from the Athens Police Department, will talk about ways his department is helping make children safer.
Teacher Beth Horton is the director. She teaches theater at Alexander High School, but this year she’s also been hired to direct productions at Athens High School.
“I have waited to do this play for 10 years,” Horton said. “It’s about the scene of a shooting and was written as a way to open dialogue with students and parents. There’s no fee charged for the play if you agree not to charge admission. It’s a community service, and we are honoring that. We are offering to come to any school, church or group and present it for free.”
She said the play came about after Mastrosimone’s son told him about a message that had been written on a school blackboard that said, “Everyone in this school is dead meat.”
“He wondered how many kids were in great distress but no one knew,” Horton said. “He wrote it as a way to open conversation with his son. He wrote it in one night — it was a gift. He wrote it three weeks before Columbine. It’s been staged more than 15,000 times.”
She said the play will help parents talk to their children about these issues.
“We have tried to open up a platform. Theater is educational, and this is a positive, high-quality production. Some people are afraid to talk about their fears. They think if they talk about it they will attract it to them. But it’s the things we don’t talk about that can be attracted to us. If you put your fears out there, they’re not so scary and you’ll find others who share your fears. You begin sharing and have an open dialogue, and you’re one step closer to a solution. Some principals are afraid (to allow the play). They’re afraid they’ll give students ideas, but the ideas are already there.”
She said helping teens open up about these issues can help them understand their feelings and help have a healthier mindset. She said teens can’t always see the lasting impact of their actions. This play shows the impact of the shooter’s actions in a compelling way. She said Athens High Principal Mike Meek has been supportive of the production
“His view is ‘Where else? What better place than a school to do this?’” Horton said.
To prepare for the play, Horton had her student actors each research one of the Columbine victims so it would be easier for them to handle the intense subject matter. Instead of trying to picture themselves as victims, they could, instead, think of the Columbine students. Horton’s been impressed with her actors.
“It’s been a joy to watch these kids really embrace the process,” she said. “There is no blood or gore in the play. It’s almost like watching a dance. It moves with such grace and ease. The author did a masterful job. It’s written with love and grace…. The students are doing a good job. There are moments that give me goosebumps. … But we’re not pushing anyone. This is not too real. It’s in the Greek drama mode. It’s not like it’s really happening or like you are watching a crime show on TV. It’s choreographed. It’s an illusion.”
She said the play is a good instructional tool because it’s based on ancient theater traditions. Like ancient Greek plays that always included a chorus offering background or summary information, this play’s Greek chorus is Josh’s seven dead victims. As Josh sits alone in his cell, these characters come to him and ask him “Why?”
Ohio University senior Alex Behe is the assistant director. Though he’s set to graduate with a degree in information systems, he was in theater productions in high school.
“I’m loving it,” he said. “It’s very interesting to see the kids’ response to this issue. None of them had dealt with it first-hand. They were all a little young when Columbine happened. They’ve been very good, very responsible, very respectful.”
© 2009 The Athens Messenger. Reprinted with permission.