Perpich Introduces Richfield Middle Schoolers to High School Issues

Students from the Perpich Center for Arts Education's documentary theater class performed "Stuck in the Middle," a series of skits, for students Monday. The skits focused on educating the young students about some of the fears, anxieties and changes they will endure when they enter high school.

The transition from middle school to high school can be a rough time for many kids. Crowed hallways and hundreds of new faces can be daunting for incoming freshman students, but "Stuck in the Middle" aimed to deal with issues in a funny and creative way, while also opening up the discussion platform.

"Most of the stuff they're going through, they're not alone," said Tory Peterson, class instructor. "There's such a polarized view of things happening in America, and people are afraid to talk about things."

The sketches each explore different topics such as suicide, coming out and bullying. Perpich senior Ben Schulz personally relates to the "Coming Out" scene, and hopes he can reach students in the audience. He grew up in a small town in Minnesota where being different, or gay, was thought of as taboo.

"It's okay to be different," he said. "The fact that we can make students feel less alone is great."

The students also performed sketches based on the lighter, yet still stressful sides of high school. "Twilight in Five Minutes or Less" addressed the crowded hallways and too-short passing time.

The sketches are also completely based on facts and experiences. The theater students went to metro-area middle schools to interview students about their stories, concerns, feelings and experiences. They then took that information, plus their own journal entries and to create the short plays.

"The Twilight one was my favorite," giggled Alyson Wendland, an RMS eighth grader.

The response from students has been, at times, overwhelming, according cast member Rachel Sedwick. In addition to receiving letters from students, middle schoolers have also approached the cast after the show.

"A girl came up to me after a show with tears in her eyes and said, No. 9 really helped me. Thank you," said Sedwick.

The No. 9 sketch was a darker skit about suicide. The fact that the sketch was able to potentially save a life was rewarding and fulfilling, she said.

"I know our cast is reaching students all around Minnesota and representing what they go through every day."

Another issue addressed in the skits was the danger of rumors. An RMS eighth grader, who cannot be named for privacy reasons, said she took those sketches seriously.

"[I learned] that rumors can cause a lot of trouble and have an affect on people," she said.

Sedwick hopes all students took something away from the variety of topics and scenarios they showed.

"I hope they can realize that all the stuff they're going through isn't that big of a deal," she said. "And that they can laugh about it."

The students of "Stuck in the Middle" will continue to tour middle schools in the metro area. Their next performances are at Robbinsdale Middle School on Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. and Anoka Middle School for the Arts on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m.