PLAY ADDRESSES TEEN-AGE SUICIDE

"Teens Against Suicide," a 40-minute skit, is about teens and the tremendous pressures put upon them in today's society.

The players include Amy, whose divorcing parents take their frustrations out on her.

Then there's Jo, an orphan whose emotional troubles and run-ins with the law land her in a juvenile detention center.

And there's Mary Jane, who just can't live up to the standards set by an overachieving sibling.

All the players have problems, and all of them consider suicide as a solution. Skit writers tried to convince potential audiences that there were other ways out for the characters and for every other teen-ager.

Written by students in Southeast Missouri State University's topics in theater 390 class, the short play was presented Monday to students at St. Mary's School and St. Vincent De Paul Grade School. The actors and actresses included students from St. Vincent, plus Cape Central Junior High School and Notre Dame High School.

Five university students wrote the play, interviewing area teen-agers and counselors about teen suicide. The nine other actors and actresses provided input about how youths talk and behave.

The result was motivating for the audience.

"It taught me the signs of someone who wants to commit suicide," 14-year-old Zach Miller said. "If I had a friend who showed those signs, I would talk to him about getting help."

A St. Vincent classmate, 13-year-old Kari DelVecchio, agreed.

"It was realistic," she said. "I had a friend who considered suicide, but I didn't know about it until a while later. Now I would know to tell my friend that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

That was the message university writers tried to convey, said Marty Strohmeyer. His group had the choice of writing about AIDS or domestic violence, but he argued to be assigned teen suicide. Because he works with youths in theater, the issue means a lot to him.

Research for the skit took about four weeks, and the writing took another two. Younger students auditioned for the parts and practiced at least once a week for two months.

To prepare for their parts, players listened to happy music. Then they listened to the song "Memories" from the musical "Cats." They reflected on the meaning of the song, actually trying to become depressed.

Lauren Hirschburg, a 14-year-old student at Cape Central Junior High, said the exercise was effective. In the skit, her character smiled to the rest of the world but was depressed inside.

"I learned a lot from doing this," Hirschburg said. "There are many kids who have considered suicide and many who have done it, but no one seems to catch on."

Writer Strohmeyer said he hopes that will change.

"I don't think this play will stop anybody planning to commit suicide," he said. "But it will make people think and open the lines of communication. If one person notices something different about their child or friend, the play has done what we wanted."