A high school senior feels overwhelmed by pressures from parents, teachers and peers. A teenage couple converse awkwardly on their first date. Four young friends wrestle with the consequences of drinking and driving.
These and other themes form the plots in Drama Therapy, a series of short plays focusing on teen issues. For the past three years, the Havre de Grace High School drama department has presented the plays, calling the skits "100 Minutes That Matter," to parents, faculty and the student body.
"These are issues that students deal with and issues that all our students might experience," said M. Patricia Walling, principal of the 750-student school. "The plays give students the opportunity to become reflective, to discuss issues and to ask for help, if it is needed. The content keeps them engaged."
The young audience cheered for the girl who finally severed her friendship with a perpetual liar. They laughed at the foibles of a guy trying to impress his date and applauded the teens who ultimately took responsibility for a bad decision.
"The purpose of these plays is two-fold," said Mark A. Cummins, head of the school's drama department. "They test the actors and get the message out to the people who need to hear it."
Drama Therapy, with 32 speaking parts in eight skits, two of which were written by students, is student-run, he said.
"The cool thing is that it gives more kids starring roles," Cummins said. "It is all issue-driven and deals with topics that teens confront. If the issue is out there, these students are not afraid to go after it."
This year marked the debut of "Break," written last year by Brandi Brown, a 2008 graduate of the school, who is now studying drama at New York University. Vera, the central character played by junior Tricia Ragan, continually calls "Stop!" so she can gather her thoughts. In typical teen banter, she tells how she used to be as peaceful as a Zen temple until college applications, family obligations and her far-too-full school schedule gave her insomnia and left her feeling "so old for all the worrying I do."
Her mounting anxiety does not diminish, and the skit ends without resolution, with her completely surrounded by six characters who all demand something of her.
"When I auditioned, I knew I could relate to this role," Ragan said. "I think all of us can."
