METH DELIVERS JOLT OF REALITY

The Headlines Theatre production of Meth more than lived up to its
billing on Wednesday night at EJ Dunn Gymnasium. Cast members served
up an intense, in-your-face look at the reality of addiction, using
crystal methamphetamine as the vehicle.

The Port Alberni Crystal Meth Community Task Force brought the
touring production to town. Director David Diamond advised a packed
house that this forum theatre drama was going to require input from
the audience.

"Forum theatre builds to a crisis and stops," Diamond said. "As you
watch, keep your eyes and ears open as you watch these people struggle."

And struggle they do. The 22-minute scenario begins with a death and,
possibly, ends with a death. While crystal meth is the catalyst, the
six characters are enmeshed in layers and layers of complimentary
addictions: dope, booze, gambling, codependency.

Following the first run-through, Diamond took to the stage to set the
ground-rules for the working portion of the program. The actors run
through the numerous scenes, and, at any time, an audience member can
call 'Stop,' and take the place of any character. The idea is to
bring something to the scenario that would bring safety for the
character - easier said than done.

"We're in a school, but this isn't a test," Diamond said. "There are
no paid plants in the audience who are going to do this for you."

The cast didn't have to wait long. With minimal prompting, audience
members jumped into the fray. And for some, it was alternately a
frustrating or harrowing experience.

Cody Gray, who has been clean for 22 months, brings a frightening,
manic intensity to his character, Adam, and getting through to him
proved a challenge for anyone brave enough to take the stage opposite
him. At one point, Adam bolts from the stage when the audience member
replacing Karen (played by Kayla Cardinal) tells him she loves him.

Asked what was so upsetting, Adam (in character) replied, "'I love
you...' That really scared the (expletive) out of me."

Later, attempting to intervene in a scene where Adam is about to
suffer an overdose, he and the substitute-Karen end up screaming
obscenities at each other. For the well-intentioned audience member,
it was an emotionally-shattering experience.

Another Karen attempted to broker an honest moment between her
alcoholic grandmother Mary (played by Betsy Ludwig), and workaholic
mother Denise (played by Sophie Merasty). Both women stormed off
stage, leaving her alone.

"What are you going to do now?" Diamond asked.

"I'm going to go back out and use," she replied, a little numbly.

"It's not Disney up here," Diamond observed later. "We learn things
every night."

During the Port Alberni production, the vast majority of audience
members intervened through the character of Karen. Following the
play, Jordan Fields, who plays the scary drug-dealing Trey, said
that's very unusual. Trey himself was replaced on one occasion, where
his stand-in suggested, "I admit I have a problem, and I'm going to
do something about it - just not right now."

"That happens very rarely," Fields said. "I think it's fear. They
feel I'm so far gone, how could I bring safety to any situation?"

Fields, 27, was hooked on meth for six years. While he wasn't a
violent person like Trey, he says he became heavily involved in
property crimes to support his habit.

"I was in and out of jail at the end, completely paranoid, and my
health was gone," he said. While he came out of a toxic family
environment, Fields says he has since made his amends with family
members, as part of his recovery.

Fields was asked if re-living the drug world night after night on
stage is a 'triggering' experience. He thought about it a moment.

"I'm not really triggered," he said. "Well, that's a lie - I do have
the thoughts." It's difficult to maintain any kind of social life, he
said, because his recovery means staying away from places like bars,
where he will be exposed to substance abuse.

"I'm abstinent in everything, including alcohol," Fields said. "But
there's one addiction I can't shake - I can't stop smoking."

Gray, a young grizzly bear of a man, said the Port Alberni production
took things to a new level.

"I think this was the craziest show I've done," he said.

Gray says he went through sheer physical hell in his meth days,
including a psychotic episode which triggered heart failure.

"I'd been in rehab for a month, and I was back using again," he said.
"I was down to 160 pounds, and my girlfriend said she could see my
heartbeat through my chest."

After his near-death experience, it was still a matter of months, and
several disastrous slips, before he finally cleaned up. He now says
he finally saw the damage he was causing other people.

"I dumped $600 worth of speed in the toilet, and started cutting off
all those people in my life who weren't good for me," he said.

But Meth isn't about talking down to teenagers, Gray said.

"We have 22 minutes to show the harsh reality of meth," he said. "I
did this for fun. And it was fun - except for the last few months."
Gray says he even managed to hold down a part-time job through the
worst of his dealing.

For Cardinal, stepping out of the action so frequently was a new
experience. But the audience members are seeking answers for their
own questions, she noted.

"It depends on each community. It's very rare that one character is
chosen so often," she said. "It's always an amazing experience. I'm
just here to tell the truth - I'm not here to preach, or to tell kids
not to do drugs. They'll have to make that decision themselves."