school, students. are not the drivers but the ones
getting. into cars as “passengers. This. play does. not
present.the issue just of drinking.and driving, but of
choices. The goal will befor children in elementary
school to identify with and understand the choices
given, of whether ‘or not to ride with someone who
has:been drinking. puesto
_. The . production | oo

aimed’ at the junior [im

high students focuses | ;

on a party as a |
vehicle for drinking
and presents choices

of what you do at a
party. This play will §
centre not just on the
drinking itself, but ™
the relationships and
patterns that lead to
- drinking: things like
peer pressure, inse- a ;
curity, relationships, self-image, teasing and escape.
‘The emphasis is that it can be someone close to you
that is. affected by your actions and that. victims of

“Brian Koven: Rela-
tionships, patterns. -

drinking and driving accidents are not just'a body or

a number. .

Koven says these plays could help teens and pre: 7

teens to be. prepared before they get into the situ-
ation of being offered alcohol or a ride with someone
who has been drinking. OO _

Both plays are unscripted and, although still

structured, are of an improv1 ational nature. Koven
believes the plays will have a degree of freshness and

spontaneity that scripted plays wouldn't have.’ He.
says he has also challenged the students as to what

they really would and wouldn’t do and say, but the

kids are the ones who ultimately have to make the © |

choices of what goes into the play.

- Koven says both productions take a holistic.

approach to teaching. When they take a production
into a school the audience will be addressed first by
the RCMP liaison officer. They will also select panel
members from among their peers who will respond

with their reactions after the play. Then the panel »

members and the actors can be challenged in a ques-

tion-and-answer period at the end of the play. After-.
wards the individual classes will go back ‘to. their
classrooms for small group discussions facilitated by | .
the teachers. Koven says that after the students have

finished the whole session they should be able to
‘relate better to what was told.to them at the begin-

ning by the police liaison officer. The entire pres- —
entation and process is expected to take: approxi-.

‘mately three hours of class time. .

Koven says Project Steer Clear has not come up
with any answers, but instead is a springboard to
discussion, = Oo oo

.-Koven says he want the kids to get thoughts out

in the open and start thinking about how they would

react to’the different predicaments. This aspect will

be covered in the discussions following the plays.

Koven believes. the Theatre Arts students

involved.have had a’ renaissance of thinking since

starting this-project. They have spent a lot of time on

research; watching videos and ‘talking to victims of

' drunk drivers: - .

‘Besides, the research, the students have done .
character discussion, on what makes each play
character "click". They are not presenting TV teen-

_ agers, nor will their characters be portrayed in black

and white, but instead in all shades of grey.
The actors are now getting feedback from their -

~ own classmates and they will be doing a pre-produc-

tion video in April in which they will see themselves

on tape. Then they will continue to work on the later

_ stages of production until they go on tour in May.

Each class section has about 22 students, all of
whom are in Grade 9 or 10 Theatre Aris. The pro-
ductions are being offered to schools in the area from
Prince Rupert through to Smithers.

Skeena Broadcasters will also be videotaping the

- productions and producing a one-hour documentary

on the project.

-. _ Diana English

Royal Canadian Legion —
Branch # 13 Terrace
proudly present
~ Donna and Leroy
~~ from The Tommy Hunter Show

* Tuesday, May 5, 1992
Show starts 8:00 p.m.
Tickets sold in advance only at Legion
; $10 per ticket : .
Members and guests very welcome

Terrace Review — April 24, 1992