A lot of good is growing out of the It Gets Better Project.
The online site by columnist and author Dan Savage and his partner, Terry, was created last year in response to a rash of teenage suicides in which anti-gay bullying played a part. Originally just a YouTube video posting by Dan and Terry, the It Gets Better Project has become a worldwide phenomenon with thousands of people filming videos with supportive messages for LGTB youth about how life can become better if they stick through the tough times ( www.itgetsbetter.org ).
So it's no surprise that other groups are taking a page from the It Gets Better Project to reach out to teenagers dealing with bullying or self-esteem issues. Two Chicago-area performing arts organizations are trying to theatrically reach out to young people, be it in schools or through an accepting church.
Come to the church cabaret
Like so many people Jerry Miller was dispirited to hear of last year's widely reported teenage suicides. He was also disappointed by media reports of Los Angeles actors who recommended that performers stay closeted if they wanted to advance their show biz careers.
So Miller, the artistic director of the Oak Park-based Passion Theatre and a Minister of Fine Arts for his inclusive reconciling congregation of the United Methodist Church, decided to create a show for LGBT youth to express themselves.
"I wanted to provide a venue for LGBT actors to practice their craft and feel good about who they were," Miller said.
The only problem was that Miller had trouble finding performers ages 16 to 21 who were willing to take part. So Miller decided to take a page from the It Gets Better Project by inviting grownup LGBT performers do a variety of pieces for what is now Passion Theatre's upcoming revue Darkest Before Dawn: A Gay Cabaret.
According to Miller, the production features a diverse group of 17 performers who will offer "affirming words about LGBT people as actors to do pieces with themes about the journey of being LGBT." There are songs and monologues talking about how they overcame prejudice and bullying.
Miller is also getting plenty of support for the show from many sources, including openly gay Oak Park Village Trustee Ray Johnson (who has been very active in supporting the Trevor Project and the It Gets Better Project) and also from a Peace and Justice grant from the Northern Illinois Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
"I really wanted theater to be a part of the church and to be a statement made within a reconciling congregation," said Miller, who is proud of the fact that he's gay, an actor/director and an ordained United Methodist pastor. "I think for the church to let LGBT people know that it cares and accepts them is really important."
Passion Theatre's Darkest Before Dawn: A Gay Cabaret plays two weekends from March 25 to April 3 at United Methodist Church, 405 S. Euclid, Oak Park. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $15. Call 773-426-1168 for more information.
In the schools
Another relatively new theater organization trying to make a difference with young people is the R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation (the acronym stands for Reach, Educate, Inspire). R.Ed.I. tours to schools with a 55-minute musical dealing with issues of bullying, racism, violence and other issues facing teenagers.
The latest show by R.Ed.I. is StandUP! Change Teen Statistics, which features a cast of 10 performers ages 16-24 who perform songs and routines drawn directly from teenage interviews on topics that concerned them.
The show was rapturously last month when it was performed at the Illinois Conference for Deans and Assistant Principals, while the foundation also recently received a $65,000 grant by the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations for performances at schools that cannot afford the standard $2,500 fee.
"We use the power of the performing arts to create prevention programming," said R.Ed.I. executive director Kimberly Farah.
Co-producing the show with Farah is director Diana Martinez, who is also president of The Second City. So it was only natural that The Second City has just announced a new partnership with R.ED.I. for future show development.
"The collaboration at this point is a little bit more about the fact that we explore subject matter that [The Second City's] current outreach program doesn't cover," Farah said. "And they have a prevention tool that works exceptionally well with the mode that we're using like incorporating improvisation techniques into our scripted show."
StandUP! Change Teen Statistics addresses the issue of bullying and violence, although it isn't explicitly about anti-gay bullying. When asked if having a specifically pro-gay stance on the issue would have kept the show out of schools, Farah pointed out that the approach by R.Ed.I. was essentially universal.
"When we look at diversity and hate crimes, we look at creating tolerance for every human being on the planet which includes all kids who are bullied," Farah said.
StandUP! Change Teen Statistics will have a public performance at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 18, at The Second City, 1616 N. Wells. For more information the show's many school performances, call 630-876-0100 or visit www.redifoundation.org .
Please send theater news and other related tidbits to scottishplayscott@yahoo.com or Andrew@windycitymediagroup.com .
