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Message Theater: Troupe takes anti-alcohol message to stage
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| The WASA Message Theater group performs a play about the perils of teenage drinking Friday at City Park in Bisbee. The actors are, from left, Chris Flores, 16, Brandon Morris, 17, and Paolo Aguilera, 14. (MARK LEVY/Wick Communications) |
By Derek Jordan & Ainslee S. Wittig/Wick Communications
A Willcox-based performance troupe warned young people about the dangers of underage drinking on Friday. The message was conveyed through a play in Bisbee.
The Message Theater performance from Willcox Against Substance Abuse highlighted a number of fateful outcomes from irresponsible underage drinking.
Each of the dozen or so high school-age performers took on the role of a carefree young person at a party.
Fueled by alcohol and peer pressure, characters found themselves making poor decisions like driving while drunk, becoming addicted to alcohol and drinking while pregnant.
The performance was organized in part by Christine Dowling, founder of Loved Ones of the Incarcerated. The group was formed to support individuals whose family members or other loved ones are in prison.
Sally White, director of WASA and teacher of the Message Theater group during the summer and the Willcox High School school year where there has also been a class for two years, said the group performed twice over the summer, including the performance in Bisbee.
Dowling said along with the supportive discussion groups, an important aspect of the group is outreach to others.
"Members of households that have a family member that is incarcerated are 70 percent more likely to go to prison themselves," Dowling said.
Outreach efforts such as performances by the Message Theater can help to curb those numbers, she said.
"It captures their attention," she said.
"It doesn't just clobber them over the head with the message."
The Message Theater performed for participants in the Get Active Kids program, which is run by the city's Parks and Recreation Department and is designed to get the young people of Bisbee out and active during the summer months, said Caroline Gonzales, events and recreation coordinator for the department.
The play topped off a week of anti-drug and anti-alcohol educational activities, Gonzales said.
White said Message Theater students talked with the younger kids and helped them to understand that the party may start out fun, but results could run the gamut of alcohol-related problems.
"We put every fact about alcohol and its abuse within that performance. It covers a lot of things from alcohol-poisoning to date rape. I ask the kids to think of someone they know who is their character, and unfortunately, they can always think of someone. It's sobering to look at the end result," White said.
WASA's Message Theater may be booked by any group by calling White at 384-4777.
"In the past we have performed for a teachers association, the national AA conference and a former governor. We'll perform for any age group, but we ask for a minimum of three weeks to prepare," she said. They do different performances on social issues.
It's free, but donations are welcome to cover mileage costs.
More information
For more information about Loved Ones of the Incarcerated, go to the group's Web site: lovedonesincarcerated.com.
To learn more about the Get Active Kids program in Bisbee, contact Caroline Gonzales at 432-6000.
Herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 520-515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald.com.
The Message Theater performance from Willcox Against Substance Abuse highlighted a number of fateful outcomes from irresponsible underage drinking.
Each of the dozen or so high school-age performers took on the role of a carefree young person at a party.
Fueled by alcohol and peer pressure, characters found themselves making poor decisions like driving while drunk, becoming addicted to alcohol and drinking while pregnant.
The performance was organized in part by Christine Dowling, founder of Loved Ones of the Incarcerated. The group was formed to support individuals whose family members or other loved ones are in prison.
Sally White, director of WASA and teacher of the Message Theater group during the summer and the Willcox High School school year where there has also been a class for two years, said the group performed twice over the summer, including the performance in Bisbee.
Dowling said along with the supportive discussion groups, an important aspect of the group is outreach to others.
"Members of households that have a family member that is incarcerated are 70 percent more likely to go to prison themselves," Dowling said.
Outreach efforts such as performances by the Message Theater can help to curb those numbers, she said.
"It captures their attention," she said.
"It doesn't just clobber them over the head with the message."
The Message Theater performed for participants in the Get Active Kids program, which is run by the city's Parks and Recreation Department and is designed to get the young people of Bisbee out and active during the summer months, said Caroline Gonzales, events and recreation coordinator for the department.
The play topped off a week of anti-drug and anti-alcohol educational activities, Gonzales said.
White said Message Theater students talked with the younger kids and helped them to understand that the party may start out fun, but results could run the gamut of alcohol-related problems.
"We put every fact about alcohol and its abuse within that performance. It covers a lot of things from alcohol-poisoning to date rape. I ask the kids to think of someone they know who is their character, and unfortunately, they can always think of someone. It's sobering to look at the end result," White said.
WASA's Message Theater may be booked by any group by calling White at 384-4777.
"In the past we have performed for a teachers association, the national AA conference and a former governor. We'll perform for any age group, but we ask for a minimum of three weeks to prepare," she said. They do different performances on social issues.
It's free, but donations are welcome to cover mileage costs.
More information
For more information about Loved Ones of the Incarcerated, go to the group's Web site: lovedonesincarcerated.com.
To learn more about the Get Active Kids program in Bisbee, contact Caroline Gonzales at 432-6000.
Herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 520-515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald.com.
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