Echoes of Columbine in Laguna youth drama

TOM TITUS

The horrors of Columbine -- and the lessons derived from them -- will

be recalled in the world premiere of a new drama in the Laguna

Playhouse’s Theater for a New Generation Series.

“Give a Boy a Gun” by Todd Strasser, adapted for the stage by its

director, Donna Inglima, will be presented for a single weekend, Feb.

4 to 6, at the playhouse. It is described as a fictionalized story of

a school shooting similar to the tragedy at Columbine High in

Colorado.

The central characters of the play, high school sophomores Gary

Searle and Brendan Lawlor have had enough. Day in and day out, for

more than two years, they have been harassed, beaten up and cursed

out by most of the jocks at Middleton High.

Armed with guns they’ve stolen from a neighbor’s collection, Gary

and Brendan storm a school dance and prepare to turn their high

school caste system upside down with a violent show of force.

“The play will use narrative, dialogue, dance, slow motion and

stage combat to tell the story,” Inglima explains. “There also will

be breaks in the action of the play to allow for personal stories

from the actors about bullying and teasing as in spoken word pieces.”

She describes “Give a Boy a Gun” as a powerful play, a useful tool

for parents, teachers and teenagers in exploring the issues that

create the circumstances for teen violence.

“Teen voices can be strident and shallow,” Inglima noted. “They

also can be insightful, poetic, hopeful, romantically painful and

full of wisdom.

“How we adults choose to help these young people engage in society

is an endless question of ethics, responsibility, vision and personal

politics,” she added. “As adults, we are leaders and the sooner we

wake up and show up to lead, the more available we will be to address

the issues this performance piece hopes to raise.”

Immediately following each performance, there will be an audience

forum with experts in the field of school violence to discuss the

issues raised in the play.

“Give a Boy a Gun” will be presented 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4; 2 and 7:30

p.m. Feb. 5 and 1 and 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at the playhouse, 606 Laguna

Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Ticket reservations are being taken at

(494) 797-2787.