Want to Do Something about School Violence?
Pay attention to these 8 local kids.
One day, youre going about your life, business as usual. Then, suddenly, something happens that shatters your world and shifts your perspective forever. That’s what occurred twenty years ago in Littleton, Colorado. On April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School ten students and one teacher were killed by two other students who subsequently took their own lives.
Pittsboro Youth Theater Artistic Director Tammy Matthews said she expected a lot of silly teenagers at rehearsal Valentine’s Day 2018..
….We were rehearsing Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I expected the usual chaos pitch but as soon as the cast walked on stage, I could tell something was different – no chatty energy, no giggles or silliness. Something was up.
I looked at one of the actresses that has been with us for years. My eyes must have said, So, what’s going on?
The shooting …she said. We were just discussing the shooting.
Tammy had been immersed in the little theater all day. She had not heard about Parkland. The kids filled in the horrific details. They went on with rehearsal. There was work to be done.
Afterwards, several actors stayed behind. They vented their frustrations and anger. Tammy talked about where she was and what she was doing when she heard about Columbine… and how nothing had changed. The kids shared their memories of Sandy Hook. Although they were quite young at the time, they remembered. They all talked, cried and went home.
Tammy thought that was the end of it. The next day while randomly thumbing through a stack of scripts she had ordered years ago, Columbinus caught her eye. As she read the riveting script, the Social Justice Theater of the Carolinas was borne and Columbinus was chosen as its inaugural play.
The best community theater I’ve ever seen.
So said one person who saw a 2019 performance of Columbinus in Sweet Bee Theater in Pittsboro by the Social Justice Theater of the Carolinas (SJTC). Numerous other attendees shared their feeling that ….everybody should see this play.
The dramatic play by Stephen Karam and P.J. Paparelli was written on commission for the United States Theatre Project to commemorate thirteen lives lost at Columbine and more than two hundred more souls killed in high school shootings in two decades since.
8 local kids are doing something to mend our social fabric. Columbinus cast members range in age from 14 to 18. They all embrace the playwrights’ primary goal for this work …seek to unite rather than divide. Instead of centering on hot-button topics like gun control, Columbinus strives to promote understanding through discussion. After each performance, a counsellor will facilitate dialogue between the audience and cast to explore basic questions such as… – Why do we treat one another the way we do? – What are we afraid of?
The goal is to empower individuals to change their own behavior towards others resulting in viable social change.
Manbites Dog Theater Fund has awarded SJTC a grant to perform Columbinus in 4 NC counties. Please attend a performance near you and alert those you know about this important opportunity to Do Something about school violence.
SJTC will perform Columbinus Live On Stage…
– Jan. 26, 2020 at PSI Theatre, Durham, NC at 3pm and 6pm,
– Feb. 8, 2020 at The ArtsCenter, Carrboro, NC at 2pm and 6pm,
– Mar. 7, 2020 at Sweet Bee Theater, Pittsboro, NC at 4pm and 7pm,
– Mar. 8, 2020 at Sweet Bee Theater, Pittsboro, NC at 2pm and 6pm,
– Mar. 22, 2020 at Burning Coal Theater, Raleigh, NC at 2pm and 6pm.
Attendance is FREE for School Employees
Local sponsors and a Manbites Dog Theater Fund grant allow current school employees to attend these Columbinus performances free of charge. See website for details.
All other attendees will enjoy a low $10 ticket price made possible by the following Organizations:
– Orange Communities LLC
– Chatham Gravel Driveway and Repairs LLC
– Integrated Commercial Contractors LLC
The Durham Arts Council has provided their PSI Theatre at a reduced cost.
Reserve seats, get more information and watch a heartwrenching video with the cast in their roles at the Social Justice Theater of the Carolinas website.
SJTC is based in Sweet Bee Theater in the Center for the Arts, Pittsboro
18 East Salisbury St., Suite A, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Office: (919) 533-6997
https://www.pittsboroyouththeater.com/social-justice-theater
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2020 12:35:18 -0500
From: Craig Witter
Subject: Do Something About School Violence