'CRYSTAL CLEAR' NOT SEEN IN REGINA

The cast of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company production Crystal
Clear is all too familiar with the events unfolding on stage.

The play chronicles the lives of four aboriginal teens using crystal
meth and is based on the experiences of 10 young Saskatchewan performers.

From different walks of life, the artists came together through the
2006 Circle of Voices program to share their stories. Playwright Dawn
Dumont helped draw these narratives together to create Crystal Clear,
a play about the dangerous drug and, ultimately, hope and strength of
spirit.

For the past month, the production has toured across Saskatchewan and
is scheduled to make stops in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba.

Director of operations Deneen Gudjonson said more than 40,000 people
have watched the play and given the SNTC rave reviews. The story
resonates with crowds, Gudjonson said, because the young actors can
raise awareness about the spread of the methamphetamine in the
community without being preachy.

"When it's youth and aboriginal youth talking to aboriginal youth,
it's far more powerful because there's a relationship there," she said.

There's also a very real relationship with drug use; Gudjonson said
some of the young people involved in Crystal Clear are former crystal
meth users.

"They have a different perspective than someone who just might read
about it," she said. "It's based on truth."

But the production isn't a story of despair. Crystal Clear also shows
how the young people are able to find hope for survival through
culture and tradition. This part of the story helps all the
participants of the Circle of Voices program to stand out as strong
role models for aboriginal youth watching the play, Gudjonson said.

"By reclaiming their culture and reclaiming themselves through the
process of healing, they can get past the evil of the drug," she said.

Though the two productions of Crystal Clear scheduled for Friday in
Regina were cancelled due to a lack of ticket sales, Gudjonson said a
late interest in the play may see an added performance in the city
sometime this summer.

The cast and crew are to present the play in North Battleford,
Punnichy and at Kilborn Hall in Saskatoon in the coming week.