SALT LAKE CITY — Students at Rowland Hall are taking their message from the classroom to the stage, joining a nationwide event giving young people a platform to speak out on an issue that hits close to home.
Inside the Larimer Center for the Performing Arts, Rowland Hall students are getting ready to read plays written by young writers. For some, like 12th grader Serenity Thompson, the stories hit close to home: "I think it's going to be very powerful and very emotional for us as well."
The students are taking part in 'ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence" a nationwide reading happening in 69 communities across 32 states and in Germany. Rowland Hall is the only participant in Utah.
"It's an amazing feeling," stated 10th grader Milo Von Ispelen. "To be able to use your voice for something good like this."
The initiative invites teens from across the nation to submit ten-minute plays about gun violence. This year, more than 120 young writers submitted their work. Rowland Hall students will read the six plays selected by the organization.
“I’m terrified. And I’m not only speaking for myself, when I say that we are terrified. The state of our country, the state of our community. We are scared of going to school every day of what might happen,” explained Ispelen.
His fear reflects a reality that communities across the country are facing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in 2023, nearly 47,000 people in the U.S. died from gun-related injuries. That includes about 27,000 suicides and nearly 18,000 homicides.
"Doing this thing, making this art is how I'm channeling this fear into something that I can use to make change," Ispelen stated.
The theater teacher for the school, Matt Sincell, says that each of the plays the students will be reading explores different angles on gun violence in America. "What I’m realizing is our students have a lot to say. And it’s really important that we listen to what they say, this is the next generation, these are the folks who are going to be voting."
The reading starts on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Larimer Center for Performing Arts in Salt Lake City. Doors open at 6:30 and close at 7:15.
Admission is free, but the reading is recommended for audiences 9th grade and older.
