It’s easy for life to become overwhelming. We’re human, it’s in our nature.
It’s no surprise that life can be staggering for teenagers who are still discovering themselves and the world that we all are moving through. The walls of any given high school hold the stories of teenagers that are navigating friendships, relationships, sexuality, puberty, and life as a whole. They are braving a garish and dangerous labyrinth daily. Despite that, they continue to stride into the belly of the beast, high school, attempting to succeed academically, thrive socially, figure out their identities, and simply survive.
Within life, we will inevitably stumble upon the dark, messy, destructive parts. Despite being written in 2004, the themes and topics that the teengagers face within this play are still incredibly real and prevalent today. The 2019 Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System indicates that 18.8% of high school students considered attempting suicide, and the rate of attempted suicide was 8.9%. The cost of suicide attempts within the United States was estimated to be around $70 billion.
Sometimes the most hurtful moments and the darkest stories are the ones that remind us of the light in our world and joyous celebrations within life. Life itself is an oxymoron in a way. It is both an incredible gift and a morbid tragedy waiting to happen. Life contradicts its own complexities. It is vivacious and listless, vibrant and dull, enchanting and gut-wrenching. Through their own complexities, the characters within this play mirror the depth and intricacies of life itself.
They are human. We are all human.
In the face of violence, pain, disaster, tragedy, and grief, it is important to recognize that everyone we interact with is also human. These stories onstage remind us to recognize that there is no way to know everyone’s stories, everyone’s pasts, and everyone’s truths. Find the realities in this world, in these characters, in their stories. At first glance this maze of a play will whir past us, but finding the depth within the experiences of all the humans in this school will open up the humanity of it all.
- Gabby Wilson