Littletown Ten,8

The Columbine Project in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District

The story is familiar: April 20, 1999, two high school misfits open fire on their school, killing 12 students, one teacher, injuring 21 others, then killing themselves, and devastating families, the town of Littletown, and a nation. The Avery Schreiber Theatre presents the telling of this story from before, after and during the massacre.

Whereas Michael Moore’s 2002 documentary BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE examines the culture of violence in the USA in the wake of the Columbine Massacre, THE COLUMBINE PROJECT, written and directed by Paul Storiale, zeros in on the boys’ stories: their background, their fears, their psychoses, and the inevitability of their “project.”

The success of the play can partially be attributed to the raw talent of Riley Bodenstab and Morgan Roberts. They disturbingly embody their characters, Eric and Dylan. Bodenstab’s Eric is an adolescent outcast to the extreme; his bitterness, imbalance, and insecurities fuel his hatred for everyone including himself. Roberts’s Dylan, in contrast, is eerily endearing. He’s the lovable misfit; his insecurities run deep, but so does his need for acceptance. You can almost see his life being turned around with the right influence, the right girl. Unfortunately, Eric’s manipulation triumphs.

The supporting cast all go gut-wrenching, with Carson Higgins’s Brooks, as the out-not-so-bad-cast and Sara Swain’s angelic Rachel Scott as kids we can put our faith in. THE COLUMBINE PROJECT is powerful putting you through a full range of emotions. Storiale and his cast jarringly bring the tragedy to life. You can’t watch it without remembering the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre and most recently the Tucson shooting. Twelve years later, the audience also can’t help but ask: has it really gotten better?

Before intermission, Dylan, in a fit of existential rage, bellows, “people are alike; I’m different.” Doesn’t every high school student at some point feel this way? THE COLUMBINE PROJECT isn’t answering any questions, but it makes us remember what it was like to be young and alienated without being punitive or patronizing.

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Runs: April 22-May 7. Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM
For tickets and more information, visit NoHo’s Official Theatre Guide>>

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For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, bookmark www.nohoartsdistrict.com

About the Author

The NoHo Arts District is a one-mile community in North Hollywood, CA home to more than 20 live, professional theatres, art galleries, dance studios, music recording venues, vintage boutiques and a myriad of dining options. Since 1998, http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com has forged a strong following of arts lovers and local Los Angeles residents who use the site as a source for theatre, things to do in the District, places to dine and local businesses to frequent. With a growing circle of visitors, subscribers, friends and followers, news from nohoartsdistrict.com reaches a wide audience of arts patrons from all over greater Los Angeles, folks in the NoHo Arts District and across the San Fernando Valley.

8 Paul Simon BBC TV (My Little Town)