| |
NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
San Pedro, CA, United States, 08/30/2007 - The Relevant Stage will offer two performances on January 31 and February 1, 2008 at 1PM. "Acts of Desperation" is the name of the work that addresses relational aggression through peer abuse, teen suicide and school shootings.
|
| |
"Acts of Desperation" was conceived by T.R.S. Founder and Artistic Director, Ray Buffer and will be directed by Lucas Pakes. Pakes has a passion for educational theatre and began his career as a dancer which led to acting and singing. He is a recent graduate of California State University where he also studied stage direction. The multimedia piece is described as a convergence of documentary film, modern dance and stage play.
Excerpts from the award-winning documentary film by Roberta McMillan, "Rats & Bullies: The Dawn-Marie Wesley Story" are combined with interpretive dance. "Rats & Bullies" recounts the path taken by a 14-year-old girl to "bullycide" - a term coined in the 1990's for the incidents of teen suicide motivated by bullying. The film shows not only the ramifications of female relational aggression and bullying but the emotional toll that suicide leaves with its survivors - lives forever changed.
Dance is used throughout to weave together the thematic elements and express emotions, connecting the film excerpts with the one-act-play by renowned playwright, William Mastrosimone, "Bang Bang You're Dead". Mastrosimone's play addresses the male side of peer abuse and how it can escalate into school shootings. Presented nearly 9 years after the shootings at Columbine high school and only 9 months since the tragedy at Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University, this play has heartbreaking relevance. The story portrays a fictional character named "Josh" alone in his jail cell, reliving the memories of the events that led him down the road of no return. The ghosts of his victims cry out to him for reasons and remind him of what he took away from the world.
The performances will each be followed by discussion between the audience and the theatre artists. Each performance will last 90 minutes.
Parents are highly encouraged to experience this event. Tickets are now on sale for the public performances that will occur on Thursday, January 31, Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 7PM as well as Sunday, February 3 at 1PM.
The free, weekday, matinée performances are available only to schools and youth groups on a first come, first served basis. Reservations by schools are now being accepted at (310) 929-8129. With only 1500 seats per performance, seats will fill up quickly. Representatives from Los Angeles area public schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, charter school, private schools and home school associations are encouraged to make contact well in advance of the performance date to ensure space is available. Students, teachers and school administrators are welcome to attend the free showings.
Additional information about "Acts of Desperation" and other shows within the theatre company's season can be found at the company's website, which is listed below.
|
pr[.]thereelvantstage.com 
