METH PLAY EXPLORES ROOTS OF ADDICTION

Kayla Cardinal (centre) was addicted to crystal meth for two years,
now she's performing in the Headlines Theatre production of Meth,
which runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 10 at the Japanese Hall.

Stories about crystal meth addiction have been getting a lot of ink in
the news lately, but Headlines Theatre artistic director David Diamond
believes more needs to be said.

"A lot of what you hear about an issue like this is from 'experts,'
and a project like this becomes a voice for people who are living the
issues," says Diamond, director of the theatre company's latest
interactive production. Called Meth, the production focuses on the
roots of addiction with a cast consisting of people who've survived
meth addiction or have come in contact with the effects of the
dangerous drug.

"You can't begin the process to solving a problem if you don't fully
understand that problem," says Kayla Cardinal, a 17-year-old from
Prince George who was addicted to meth for two years before going to
detox last year to prevent her from "ending up dead or in jail." She
says her life while addicted was "chaos" but finds it hard to
describe. She chose to get off the drug after her friends and family
convinced her that she had a problem, and made the decision to go to
detox with their help and support. She wanted to be involved in the
Headlines production to illustrate what it's like to live with addiction.

Sophie Merasty, another cast member, came into contact with meth
addiction through a family member.

"It's something that I'm newly discovering," Merasty says. "I had no
idea how devastating this addiction was in my loved one's life and in
a lot of communities as well."

Merasty, who has been involved with Headlines Theatre for 14 years,
was a cast member in Out of the Silence in 1992, a play that dealt
with family violence in First Nations homes.

That play was the catalyst for focusing on meth addiction.

In a meeting earlier this year with the Sto:Lo Nation, the issue of
meth addiction and its effects on the community was raised. The play
was praised for being able to bring the issue of family violence out
in the open. The group was asked if the same could be done for meth
addiction and addiction in general.

"While we're using meth as a way to get into the issue, the
discussion_ is really about addiction," says Diamond, whose previous
plays have explored bullying, poverty and gang violence among other
topics. "What a project like this can do really well is help
communities talk about the roots of addiction. That applies to all
kinds of things, not just meth."

Headlines isn't aiming to change the world, however.

"The thing to understand about something like this is that our task
here isn't to put a really big message out," Diamond explains. "Our
task is to ask the most difficult questions that we can so that
communities can use the theatre to discuss solutions that are relevant
to them."

As with all Headlines productions, Meth is interactive. Audience
members are encouraged to stop the production and take over a cast
member's spot in order to try their own solutions. The cast members
say audience participation is useful at easing the tension that can
surround serious subjects and help foster solutions.

"The interactive part of the piece really is a way for the communities
to use the theatre to discuss grassroots solutions that are relevant
to their own communities," Diamond says.

Headlines' first production was in 1981. Since then, they have
produced more than 20 productions, videos and workshops, and have been
the recipients of numerous awards.

Meth runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 10 at the Japanese Hall at 475 Alexander St.
A tour of the province continues in the new year.