PUHI — Who better to reach a teen than another teen? Pono Players, a Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre peer-education troupe, launched their first production addressing the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, yesterday to an all-student assembly at Kapa‘a High School.
PUHI — Who better to reach a teen than another teen?
Pono Players, a Hawai‘i Children’s Theatre peer-education troupe, launched their first production addressing the dangers of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, yesterday to an all-student assembly at Kapa‘a High School. Ranging in age from 12 to 23, the cast has a powerful story to tell — one they helped develop through education and improvisation.
Monday and May 24, the group will give a public performance of “Ripples: My Best Friend is Smoking Ice” at 7 p.m. at the Kaua‘i Alliance for the Performing Arts Warehouse Theatre in Puhi.
“‘Ripples’ is a show about how the choices you make affect other people. Your actions ripple through the people around you,” said HCT President and show producer Steve Whitney.
Pono Players translates serious social issues into stories addressing problems facing Kaua‘i youth. This narrative created and directed by Ed Eaton (“Annie,” “Cinderella” and “Big River”) is about the drama that unfolds between two high school friends: one experimenting with methamphetamine and the other attempting to bridge the chasm growing between them.
“This is about kids talking to kids,” Whitney said. “We share a story and along the way communicate the facts about ice and show how friends can help one another.”
By uniting real-life messages with drama and having those messages delivered by youth, the story line educates young people about the devastating effects of using ice. Eaton provided the structure of the message with consultation from Hawai‘i Meth Project, then using improvisation, role-playing and team-building exercises the cast collaborated on the story.
“It was fun to use the improv to focus it more towards our audience,” said Kaua‘i High School senior Megan Ross. “Because we are in the system we are our target audience. We were able to make (the message) extremely specific to them.
“The show itself is interactive — two characters actually talk to the audience,” she said. “We get on a more personal level with the audience.”
The eight-actor cast is comprised of some of the island’s most promising talent: Kaua‘i High School and AMDA graduate Cheston Chandler-Borges; Kapa‘a High School senior Dakota Barnett; Island School freshman Jenna Monroe; Kapa‘a High School senior Lexi Vilas; Kaua‘i High School senior Ross; Kaua‘i High School graduate Ralph Guest; Kapa‘a High School freshman Savanah Frisk; Kaua‘i High School junior Toby Riggle; and intern, Island School sixth grader, Raina Silver.
“This was an exclusive opportunity for the kids to work with Ed,” Whitney said. “Our goal was to get the best actors and put the strongest program together.”
More than an acting opportunity, the cast also received on education on meth addiction.
“It’s important to emphasize the emotional pain to not only the person on meth, but the pain of family and friends,” said Riggle. “We studied meth from so many different views. All I knew before was what it made you look like — a zombie.”
Whitney hopes “Ripples” is just the beginning of a long-overdue dialogue.
“It’s about friends taking action. If you’re worried about your friend don’t be afraid to ask if they are OK. The show is about communication.”
As peer educators, Pono Players are intent upon raising awareness by weaving resources into the story — Teenline Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Meth Project, to name two.
“This is a story about friends taking care of each other by talking and being honest,” Whitney said.
Following the performance, the audience is encouraged to dialogue with the actors during a question-and-answer segment. A panel of experts on the issue are on hand to assist when needed.
Public performances are currently being scheduled during the month of May. Contact Steve Whitney at 651-3509 for more information and to schedule a performance of “Ripples” for your group or school.
