'Heathers' actors share personal experiences, positive messages with local high school students.
One by one, six members of the cast and crew of Heathers: The Musical bravely faced the camera to share their personal experiences with shaming, isolation, suicide, homophobia, domestic violence, bullying and suicide.
Their message: You’re not alone, high school is hard, things do get better.
More than 100 students from three area school districts — Albert Gallatin, Ringgold and South Allegheny — heard that message in person when they visited Cal U on April 13 for a special presentation of “Heathers.”
The play follows Veronica Sawyer, a 12th-grader, as she navigates her final days in high school. The show has upbeat musical numbers and comedic characters, but it also takes on some serious subjects.
Before the show, students heard from Abbey Sager, 18, the founder and president of Diverse Gaming Coalition, who was bullied in high school, dropped out, and earned her GED. Sager used a relatable, teen-friendly comic-book format to illustrate the problem of bullying and to invite students to discuss potential solutions.
Following the production, the high school students watched the video, in which members of the Heathers cast and crew recounted their experiences in high school.
The visitors then had lunch with members of the cast, crew, and master's degree students from Cal U's counselor education program, who were available to answer questions and discuss issues raised by the play. Cal U faculty from counselor education, sociology and theater also answered questions.
"Bringing our students to see the play involved a lot of conversations with our administration and parents, but we felt it was a good experience for our students,” said Toby Maykuth, a teacher in the Albert Gallatin School District who earned his master's degree in counselor education from Cal U.
"It was good to see the University putting forth this effort."
Students in Cal U’s counselor education program, led by Jessica Jacobs and Amber Kirschner, prepared packets for high school students that included online resources and other information regarding the issues addressed in “Heathers.”
"The relationship between Veronica and J.D. is very one-dimensional," said Dr. Emily Sweitzer, who teaches in the sociology program, in describing the controlling behavior between two of the main characters in the play.
"Everything is either all right or all wrong (for J.D.). There is no in-between, no gray, no ability to see other feelings."
Members of the Heathers cast said the play impacted them, too.
"We grew a lot as people during the rehearsal process," said Jeromy Mackey, who played J.D. "And we opened up about a lot of things in the video that we made.”
"The message that we as a cast want to portray," said Chelsea Feudale in the video, "is that high school does end. The problems that you're facing are only temporary. I promise you, once you get into your little groups of people that understand you and accept you for who you are, everything gets so much better.
"It’s like a breath of fresh air."