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you th Using Theatre to Get AIDS Message Across by Ann Macklem Bill Gregg, social studies teacher at North Vancouver's Carson Graham High School, is trying something a bit different with his Grade 1 1 students this year. According to provincial legislation, all secondary school instructors are required to provide "basic" AIDS education to their students. The scope of most such programs is indeed basic--more often than not, they consist of a brief and perfunctory information session with an AIDS educator or the school nurse. It is unlikely, however, that such s inspire teenagers to take extra precautions. Denial is rampant even among "mature" adults. To counter this, Mr. Gregg has put together an entire AIDS awareness program, spread out over the course of several weeks, that addresses a number of AIDS issues from a variety of perspectives. He is screening documentary videos, giving lectures, holding discussion periods and launching a poster competition, but he is also using theatre. Bill has invited Green Thumb Theatre to put on their highly touted production. The Cost of Living. Written by Morris Panych, the play has enjoyed immense success, having already been seen by some 40,000 teenagers throughout the province and across the country. Immediately after die Carson Graham performance, the cast and crew embark on a 4-week tour of Scotland. treating people better, then I've wasted my time, and theirs." Bill Gregg's intention is to get his students "involved on an emotional level, something which our social studies program has never tried to do. I want to have them dialogue with each other, because that's where most of the education is going to take place." Theatre can be a powerful tool in this regard, particularly when it is used in the context of a whole educational programKudos to Gregg for instituting such a creative--and hopefully highly effective-- way of promoting AIDS awareness amongst high school students. from experience how important this kind of group synergy is. "When the teens begin to realize the importance of working as a team, that is when the magic can start. To achieve this there has to be a certain frame of mind. For the coach that means being totally open and receptive to the students. You have to realize that there is a lot to be learned from them. They can probably teach you far more about life at that age than you know, because you have gone beyond it. So I accept some of their most outlandish ideas without criticism, and that's when it comes together. For them to be able to express their feelings they must feel safe." Editor's note: At press time, I was notified As well as nurturing self-confidence and creativity, another effect of good group that a second North Vancouver high dynamics is the closeness that can occur school, Windsor Secondary, will also be between students. Shannon Plumsteel, 14, bringing in The Cost of Living. A Windsor says it is just that kind of social interaction High parent had seen the play and was so which makes Dramaworks stand out from impressed with it that she has offered to other schools. "I think Dramaworks is assume the costs of the production! better because it is more intimate and Jennifer is more tuned in to the students' feelings. You meet lots of nice people here. I've made so many lasting friendships. by Trish Mason Coming here also builds my confidence." The Teen Phenomenon One Dramaworks program attracting consistently high numbers of students is the teen program for 13- to 16-year-olds. A record total of 15 students signed up last term, which is something of a phenomenon when you consider that this is an age group supposed to be experiencing the selfconscious rites of adolescence. The students who sign up for Dramaworks are not necessarily extroverts, either. Those interviewed for this article appeared quiet, serious and even a little shy, explaining that acting is simply something they enjoy doing and at Dramaworks they can have fun in an environment which is friendly and non-critical. "At first it was really just a lot of fun to come here, a real highlight of the week," says 14-year-old Robyn Marshall, who has been with Dramaworks since its inception in 1991. "Now I am learning more. I used to think acting was so easy, just pretending to be someone else. But it's not. You have to dig a lot deeper than that. I am digging deeper and every time I do, it's more and more interesting. Jennifer is a really good drama teacher. It's not like she says 'do this' or 'do that.' She shows us and she's not critical." Dramaworks director Jennifer Riach says the teens who come to Dramaworks are individuals who dare to be a little different. As a group they represent a challenge quite unlike any of the other age groups she teaches. "You have to win their respect," she says. Teens these days know an awful lot and can sense if you are not really on the ball, so I do a lot of detailed preparation for each session." Brendan Young, who at 14 years old has tried several other acting schools, thinks the quality that makes one drama school better than another is the extent to which the students and coaches get along with each other. "If everybody likes each other in the group and works together, it helps a lot," he says. Robyn agrees. "Sometimes you get people in the class who are not reall) there for the drama. They just want to goof around and that really brings down the class," she adds. Jennifer, who has been teaching drama to young people since the early 1960s, knows Shannon and Robyn are part of a nucleus of Dramaworks regulars who have developed closetiesdespite the fact that they attend different schools. Another regular, Jacob Barker, joined the school last summer. "Going to Dramaworks is like an upper on the week," he says. "I get to use my imagination and I feel much more open here than I do at school." Jacob likes theatre games and improvisations best, but admits that the challenge of playing roles from Under Milkwood last Christmas was also tremendously satisfying, once he had mastered the hard work of learning lines. For some teens, like Brendan, it is the dream of a professional acting career that spurs them to take drama courses. Whatever the goal, Dramaworks teens get a lot out of their weekly experience--having fun, making friends and developing selfconfidence in a place where they can be just themselves, or anybody else they want to be. The next teen session ("Teen Performance") begins Wednesday, April 14th and runs to the end of May. For more information about this and other Dramaworks programs, call 922-8963 or register at the West Vancouver Recreation Centre, 926-3266. Trish Mason is the publicist for Dramaworks. Teens enjoy learning acting skills at Dramaworks Mike Stack plays 'Our Guy' in The Cost ol Living Much of the play's success has to do with its unique approach. It isn't so much about AIDS per se as it is about relating to and learning to respect people with AIDS (and. indeed, anyone who is in some way different). It doesn't preach to its audience, nor does it employ scare tactics--a surefire way of losing teenagers' attention. It is just plain realistic. Travelling with the production is Rick Waines, a 26-year-old with HIV. Rick takes questions from the floor after the performance, providing the "human element" in the unlikely event that the audience doesn't find the fiction believable. Rick is .in incredibly affable fellow, and totally candid. He immediately establishes an atmosphere of trust by divulging things about himself--except, atfirst,how he came to be HIV-positive. His strategy in answering the audience's questions is to deflect attention away from his plight, because, as he puts it, 'if I only concentrated on my story, everybody would fall in love with me, think I was so brave and courageous, but they'd still be out there doing the same crap." T i n not there for me." he continues. "If I haven't addressed ways for them (teenagers] to improve their life, just by- A m A c « . » M.y/June 1 9 9 3 7