Youth Forum

Youth Forum

We’ve been doing a youth forum for the last three years based on the following model:  kids talking to kids about important topics revolving around a play.  The youths have been firm with us (the adults) that they do not want adult experts talking to them about some topic.  They said, “we will tune them out.” 

From January to June 2011, as the youths were writing Dying to Live, they were also working on short scenes to involve the youth audience.  Their topics were bullying, teen pregnancy, racism and baggy pants.  They used improv and theater exercises to develop skits for each category.  They researched facts related to these issues and built dialogue around the skits.  Their goal was to develop 15 minute breakout sessions after performing Dying to Live. 

They came up with a dating game show to talk about racism, a couple of bullying skits, a sketch showing two teen friends’ lives change when one got pregnant, and a comical dance number with baggy pants around their knees.  Each category typically had an advanced youth leader hosting the segment.

The 2011 Youth Forum was performed at the Downtown Cabaret Theater with 275 Bridgeport elementary and middle school children attending.  As the lights came down, the audience was loud and disruptive.  They were screaming.  When our youths took the stage, the audience just could not contain themselves.  We were worried that our youths would break character and changed the dynamics of the forum.  But our youths stood their ground, took command of the audience within two minutes and held their attention for the next hour and a half.

The Forum was a success.  Our youths created such a frenzy that after the event, the lead actors were signing autographs for a half hour.  The Youth Forum will be repeated, with better breakout sessions, along with Dying to Live in June 2012.