PLAY BRINGS TO LIGHT METH ADDICTION ISSUES

The Audience Has A Role To Play In The Show Shattering.

The people acting in a new play coming to Langley this week know
their subject matter inside and out.

They should. The play is about addiction and they have all struggled with it.

Now they are performing in Shattering, a show being staged by
Headlines Theatre of Vancouver.

After a week of shows in Vancouver, Shattering hits the road for a
tour of B.C., Alberta, and Saskatchewan between now and the early December.

The show comes to Langley for a show at H.D. Stafford Middle School
on Oct. 9 starting at 7 p.m. The play is open to the public but only
ages 13 and older.

"We want as many youth to come out as possible," said Rose Wilson,
with the Community Justice Institute.

Admission is pay-what-you-can.

It's being hosted by the Langley-based Community Justice Institute,
which provides services such as conflict resolution, restorative
justice and programs to various groups in the community including the
Langley School District.

The institute is bringing in the play to educate about meth in an
engaging manner.

"The play asks difficult questions that dig beneath the symptoms to
get at the root causes of addiction, but also provides a safe and fun
place to explore approaches to complex situations," explained
Christopher Bromley, with Headlines Theatre.

Headlines is a non-profit organization and books performances based
on invitations from groups in host communities. Bromley said that can
be addiction services agencies, First Nations, or groups that deal
with social issues.

The theatre company partnered with First Nations organizations and
other community groups to create the show as part of Headlines Forum
Theatre program. Forum Theatre uses an interactive format that takes
the play to the peak of the drama then allows audience members to
become part of the show as the play explores solutions.

The project was originally called Meth, and was performed in
Vancouver and 28 other communities in 2006/07. The play grew out of a
meeting on the Skwah Reserve near Chilliwack regarding how meth was
devastating the community.

A central facet of the play is how the drug not only hurts the user
but also ends up 'shattering' family, friends and community.