​Liam Hofmeister, news correspondent

The Northeastern Theatre Department addresses social issues with its upcoming production of “columbinus,” a production focusing on the infamous 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The show aims to tell the story passionatelywith both truth and justice for victims.

“columbinus” premiered Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the newly renovated Curry Student Center’s Studio Theatre. The play focuses on issues of isolation, hostility and social pressures found in high school, via a highly collaborative design effort and focused storytelling.

“These issues have not gone away. They are frighteningly open,” Matthew Gray, director and sound designer of “columbinus,” said. “Rationally, there is no simple solution to this problem. But I want students to leave with better questions.”

​The first act entirely focuses on characters who embody the stereotypes of high school:  Prep, Jock, AP, Perfect, Rebel, Freak, Faith and Loner. They have no names, only titles that illustrate their place in the high school hierarchy. Not until the second act does the audience learn the names of these characters, allowing them to see the humanity of each individual victim.
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Though the second act greatly features the shooters, Gray focuses on telling the victims’ stories rather than spotlighting the tragedy committed by these two boys.

“How do we make this show something other than a celebration?” Gray said. “We capture the spirit of high school rather than humanizing two people who are already human.”

The show emphasizes the individuals lost rather than dogmatically commanding the audience to change its mindset.

“The production is less about sending a message, and more about telling a story,” Katra Laidlaw, third-year environmental studies major who plays Perfect in the production, said.

Gray worked with his design team to craft a stage and atmosphere reminiscent of Columbine High School, complete with monkey bars and music such as Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.” Even more prominent is the tone of distraction coming from marble-like ramps and darker lighting hues, representing the tragedy and danger that unfolds. With meticulous lighting designs and poignant digital projections throughout the production, the stage transports the audience directly to the high school in 1999.

After select productions, the cast will hold talkback sessions where audience members discuss reactions to the play with the actors. Gray said that the sessions are invaluable to assure that both the audience and cast can express their emotions around the story and the experience.

With such sensitive subject matter, actors overcame great challenges in preparing for these roles.

“These are 15 students who care so deeply about what they are doing here,” Gray said.

Gray went onto say that after scenes were completed in rehearsal, actors frequently began crying.

“It’s a jarring experience because these characters were real people,” he said. “There’s a great deal of empathy one develops.”

Emotions do not end at empathy, however. The actors feel great responsibility to do the victims justice.

“When I have a monologue, it is from an interview directly from the [survivors],” Sam Mulcahy, freshman theatre major and chorus member of “columbinus,” said. “I need to get it right word for word, in respect for the victims. The story, as it is, needs to be told.”

Gray said students realized the serious nature of gun violence through the production process.

“At first, when I introduced the guns as props, I was afraid that some actors would have fun with them, rather than understand that they are tools of murder. As the production progressed, no one touched those guns as toys. They understood what they could do,” Gray said.

The show’s opening night was delayed one week due to lost rehearsal time on snow days. Gray said although all the moving parts were not brought together until one week before the show opened, he was “pleasantly surprised” to see the production completed.

“The snow may have pushed us back, but it has forced us to work way harder,” Jared Roberts Curtis, sophomore theatre and history major who plays Dylan/Loner, one of the boys who commits the shooting, said. “Everyone is on their game and we value our time in rehearsal greatly … I want the audience to see how human all of these characters are, including mine.”

Curtis’ character suffered from major depressive disorder. Curtis hopes that his portrayal of Dylan/Loner will move the audience to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness and keep such tragedies from happening again.

“You can catch these things before they happen,” Curtis said. “It’s time to talk about that elephant in the room, and to address it with care,” Curtis said.

“columbinus” plays until Sunday, March 1 at the Studio Theatre in Curry Student Center.

Photos courtesy Chris McKenzie