Catalyst

Tragedy

In 2012, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed at a local carnival. The murder, thought by the police to be gang related was actually the result of an ongoing rivalry between two neighboring cities.  In response to the child's death and the ongoing dialogue about violence in schools, we asked young people to help us write about the rivalries that exist in their everyday lives.

Process

Research & Writing

For 14 weeks, middle- and high-school students conducted "real" research.   They collected the details of their own experiences along with those of law enforcement, social workers, gang affiliates and others whose lives were touched by the perpetrators of juvenile crime to compile an honest script that examines everyday acts of violence among teens and adults.
 

Result

Performance

Multiple stories revolve around Donte, whose father orchestrates violent acts against his mother and Charlie who bears the brunt of Donte's life at home everyday in school.  This simple yet alarming glimpse inside the lives other young people taunted daily by emotional and physical assaults ends with "Talk Back" sessions for audience feedback and reflections.

Directed by Kerri Mubaarak and Angela Williams Tripp