The play Good Kids by Naomi Luzika played in the Hall High School Black Box Theatre this past week and it was fair better than “good”. This play, a play about adolescent mistakes and consequences regarding drugs and alcohol, couldn’t be more relatable for high schoolers. I saw the play on its last showing, December 8th. The play felt so real, as if I was really in the story with these characters, as if I was a character in the play too.

Good Kids takes place at a highschool party in a small town. At this party, a drunk teenage girl is raped while being filmed by a group of highschool boys. Although a sensitive topic for sure, these types of incidents occur in adolescent lives all the time. We are young, things get out of hand. But, this play makes you look yourself in the mirror and ask “who do I trust”, “who do I believe”, and most importantly “what does this say about me”.

The play was ridden with swears, kissing, and inappropriate gestures. But, these elements made it so important to see. Even though it may seem awkward to see your peers exchange a kiss or blurt the “F word” ferociously, these moments were crucial to the story. The parts of this story that were uncomfortable to watch, made the story even more real. The thing I liked most about the play was that it wasn’t censored. It wasn’t another phony attempt for parents and teachers to prevent drug use and sexual abuse. It was a story based off real events that happen to teenagers all the time. And as a 17 year old girl in highschool, I can say with confidence that this play was a perfect representation of what goes on in our lives and the struggles we have.

Lots of teenage kids deal with bullying, sexual abuse, and issues regarding drugs and alcohol. According to the Department of Justice, approximately 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been the victims of sexual assault.This statistic is horrifying yet true.  Plays like Good Kids help bring awareness to this important topic.

I got the chance to ask Mariel (one of the directors) a few questions about the play and its importance. When asked ¨Why should people see this play?” Mariel responded:

¨A lot of the actions displayed throughout the show are subtle, but allude to how every comment (over social media or not) we make transforms into an snowball of destructiveness. People should see this play because it is important to confront these situations that are far more prevalent then we may realize and it may possibly change the way we interact online.¨

Both Mariel Correa-Maynard and Cedrick Ekra did amazing jobs as directors, and made the play a strong example for teenagers to watch what they put online. Being able to relate to an audience takes skill and experience, and the emotion that this play gave off was stunning. As Mariel says, social media is like a snowball of destructiveness sometimes, and throughout the play we watch as the characters learn from their wrong doings. This accurate and influential play will inspire many high schoolers and me to watch what they do online, watch what they say to others, and to know when to get help.