Over his 14 years of teaching at MHS, Thespian Troupe director Tom Mackey has lost at least three students to gun violence, making the group’s upcoming performance more personal.
On Monday, the Thespian Troupe performed a series of staged readings, tied to an organization called, “ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence.” The program was primarily run by elementary music teacher and assistant Thespian Troupe director, Ms. Mia Godfrey, who was contacted by the organization during the school year.
In our society, a child is either killed or critically injured every day from the severe prevalence of gun violence, with the primary scenario being school shootings. In 2023 alone, nearly 47,000 people were killed or injured by gun violence in the United States, and while gun violence has been statistically shown decreasing little by little since then, it is still recurring and important to address.
“The organization that provides the program has only been out for about three or four years, and they reached out to us this school year asking to take part in the plays, and we were very excited to accept,” she said. “This allows the Thespian Troupe to use theatre as activism and help get out awareness for this issue.”
Through these plays, students are meant to see and learn that there’s always a better way than violence.
“Hopefully, [students] understand that we’re all people,” Mr. Mackey said. “We’re all deserving of certain rights and respects, and to threaten or to take someone’s life through such violent means is really antithetical to what it means to be a human.”
In addition to being Thespian Troupe’s first performed stage reading, its sensitive subject matter separates it from other Troupe performances.
“This is the first one that we’ve done that is specifically addressing a social issue whereas our typical performances of the Fall Play or even our Regional Competition shows are a little bit more open-ended to what the lessons are and what the purpose behind them is,” he said.
The prevalence of gun violence specifically within schools makes the topic all the more important to address.
“In our current time, gun violence in school is happening much too often, and students can be worried and anxious about gun violence,” Ms. Godfrey said. “So, of course the stress from being anxious and worried can have dire effects on the mind, thus making student’s health and performance in school decline. Students already have enough to worry about with weekly tests, maintaining grades and, upkeep of extracurricular activities and social life, so worrying about gun violence in school should not have to be another item on students’ plates.”
For those who attended the performance, a portion of the proceeds gained were donated to the P.O.P. Foundation, a foundation composed of a series of non-profit organizations dedicated to addressing gun violence and student health.
“Having the school performance be a stage reading allows both the performers and the audience to be a part of a new experience,” Ms. Godfrey said. “I hope that you all join us for this wonderful performance.”
