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07/02/2015 12:01 AMMADE in Madison (Madison Alcohol and Drug Education) recently presented two showings of The Worst That Could Happen, a one-act play written by Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) 2013 graduate Dylan Mather and Brendan Zinser (DHHS ‘14). The show, directed this year by DHHS senior Christina Leonardi, is about peer pressure, underage drinking, and fitting in. It was performed once for the public and once for 8th grade students at Polson Middle School.
Mather and Zinser wrote the play in 2013 as part of Student Theater Arts Repertoire (STAR) at Daniel Hand. Zinser said the duo wanted to “speak to teens in a way that was not like an afterschool special or a lecture.” After seeing the first performance of the play, MADE Vice-chair Jill Swimmer knew it was something special and that the coalition needed to get involved.
“The play is a wonderful tool to teach young adults by listening to older students in the DHHS cast. All of the issues in the play are on the minds of the soon to be high school students,” Swimmer said.
In 2014 and again this year, Swimmer worked with a cast and crew of DHHS students to bring the play to the community and to all 8th graders.
“It is important to share this message with younger students, especially since they’re going to high school next year where these pressures are real,” said Leonardi of the show’s 8th-grade audience.
Students were allowed to ask questions about life at DHHS to the cast and crew after the performance. The high schoolers advised their young peers to “just say ‘No’” by making up an excuse such as, “My parents would kill me.”
After the evening performance, interested parents and community members participated in a similar Q&A session.
“The communication that takes place in the nighttime performance is eye-opening, with parents talking to DHHS cast and crew and finding out what they really think and feel about these pertinent issues,” Swimmer said.
When the topic turned to drinking and driving, the students suggested that Madison teens use the Safe Rides program supported by Madison Youth & Family Services. Safe Rides is led by trained DHHS students who volunteer to pick up peers in need of a ride home on Friday and Saturday nights.
Haley Holmes (DHHS ‘15) led the cast as Emma, a 16-year-old who starts a downward spiral after being pressured to drink at a party to impress her crush, played by Mike Gilchrist. The cast also included Amelia Orlando, Jamie Pinilla-O’dea, Maraina Weyl, Riki Klaskin, Ben Swimmer, Ben Stopka, Declan Maloney, Molly Zalman, Devin Maus, Liz Griffin, Emma Green, and Malcolm Watts. The crew members are: Laura Condrin, Chris Hall, Jane McManus, Jason Noel, Shea Galluzi, and Kyle Lechmann. The play was filmed by Scott Sweitzer (DHHS ‘15) and will be available online.
The play was largely student-led with support from Swimmer in the capacity of adult advisor. Other adults, notably Ginny Perkins and Joe and Joan Walker, provided backstage guidance by helping with sound, lighting, and curtain.
The Worst That Could Happen will be performed again next year under the direction of Declan Maloney. MADE is in search of an adult advisor to lead the program. Anyone interested should call coalition coordinator Catherine Barden at 203-245-5694.
MADE in Madison is a diverse coalition of community members striving to promote positive youth development. For more information, visit www.madeinmadison.org.