Open Forum

I'll keep things short - my original draft was more like a three page essay. And this is about the High School edition, which I think is even better than the college edition (both have the same arc, but also have some large differences).

We performed this for our one act play and I can't say enough about how incredible it is.

A group of high school meet in their school theater late at night in order to figure out what to do with a video taken at a party they all attended that appears to show a fellow student being sexually assaulted by another student.

This is one of the rare plays that gets high schoolers right. The kids don't talked in a forced, uber-hip way, nor are they impossibly empathetic or moralistic. They are just kids, many of whom have made some bad decisions.

My students loved this play and connected to it in a deep and personal way. They saw themselves and their classmates in the characters (not necessarily in the actions the characters take, but in the personalities). They also know that the subject matter brought up - underage drinking and sexual assault - is something that goes on way more often than many of us adults may want to admit.

There is some rough language in the play and some frank discussions (though nothing too graphic). It wasn't easy getting permission to make the cuts we needed to make in order for admin to approve it. The playwright is very passionate about his work, and the rougher moments are in there for good reasons. We had a quite a few phone calls and emails going over the cuts. He was generous enough to agree to most of the ones we needed, and our principal was also generous enough to bend a bit too.

It's a brutal play - there is no happy ending and things don't get solved, but I think that makes it even more powerful, since it forces the audience to think for themselves.

For our performances, representatives from a local organization that helps victims of sexual assault and an organization that works to eliminate underage drinking gave presentations, along with our SRO. It was a powerful and challenging evening.

Even if it is too much to perform, please consider having your advanced classes read it - I think they will love it. Plus, it may allow you to have some deep and meaningful conversations with your students. This is a play that can change lives.

I'll keep things short - my original draft was more like a three page essay. And this is about the High School edition, which I think is even better than the college edition (both have the same arc, but also have some large differences).

We performed this for our one act play and I can't say enough about how incredible it is.

A group of high school meet in their school theater late at night in order to figure out what to do with a video taken at a party they all attended that appears to show a fellow student being sexually assaulted by another student.

This is one of the rare plays that gets high schoolers right. The kids don't talked in a forced, uber-hip way, nor are they impossibly empathetic or moralistic. They are just kids, many of whom have made some bad decisions.

My students loved this play and connected to it in a deep and personal way. They saw themselves and their classmates in the characters (not necessarily in the actions the characters take, but in the personalities). They also know that the subject matter brought up - underage drinking and sexual assault - is something that goes on way more often than many of us adults may want to admit.

There is some rough language in the play and some frank discussions (though nothing too graphic). It wasn't easy getting permission to make the cuts we needed to make in order for admin to approve it. The playwright is very passionate about his work, and the rougher moments are in there for good reasons. We had a quite a few phone calls and emails going over the cuts. He was generous enough to agree to most of the ones we needed, and our principal was also generous enough to bend a bit too.

It's a brutal play - there is no happy ending and things don't get solved, but I think that makes it even more powerful, since it forces the audience to think for themselves.

For our performances, representatives from a local organization that helps victims of sexual assault and an organization that works to eliminate underage drinking gave presentations, along with our SRO. It was a powerful and challenging evening.

Even if it is too much to perform, please consider having your advanced classes read it - I think they will love it. Plus, it may allow you to have some deep and meaningful conversations with your students. This is a play that can change lives.