Destination Theatre Announces World Premiere Of THE STUDENT BODY By Aaron Levy

Destination Theatre will present the world premiere of The Student Body, a new play by Aaron Levy, at the Chaddick Theater at The Galloway School in August 2024.

The play takes place primarily at Krisp County High School, where the community is left reeling from a recent school tragedy and where leadership binges on ridiculously over-the-top "proactive" safety measures. A heavy task then falls on newcomer lightweight (lousy) wrestler Baily George: save the entire student body. What follows is a darkly funny and poignant play where mental health is the umbrella over which to tackle prominent issues such as body image, impacts of social media, violence, disconnectedness, and what might happen when adults mishandle young people in the name of protecting them.

Billed as "a new play for teens... and the adults in their lives," this production, directed by Megan Cramer and co-produced with Destination Theatre, aims to bring together a multi-generational audience to inspire conversation and change in our community.

"There is a mental health epidemic in our country, especially for young adults," Levy said. "I wanted to write a story for teens '...and the adults in their lives...' where diverse community members sit in the same audience and experience the same story and then afterwards, the audience engages in a healthy discussion about how to tackle these complicated life challenges."

It's overwhelmingly telling to see the explicit topic of mental health for young people now taking a national priority. Just this month, the US surgeon general recommended warning labels (akin to cigarette warnings) on social media, LA Unified School District passed smartphone bans in schools, communities of parents in Cobb County formed a petition requesting phone usage restrictions until high school; all perhaps responding to Jonathan Haidt's late March, 2024 non-fiction release, The Anxious Generation, which continues to hold the top spot on the New York Times best-seller list. Needless to say, the issues are not only gaining traction, but communities are starting to organize and take action.

Most teens, however, are unlikely to read Haidt's bestseller or Dr. Vivek Murthy's op ed piece in the NYT or sit in the audience for a Michael Smerconish Mingle Project presentation. How do we get all the players - teens, parents, school leadership and teachers, and their communities - all in one place to contemplate these issues together? Through STORY. An authentic piece of theatre using dark humor and poignancy can address these topics effectively. While this play is not an after-school special preaching answers, it does provide fodder for a complicated, difficult, but much-needed discussion. Geared towards audiences ages middle school and up, this play promises to be both thought-provoking and entertaining for all demographics.

Performances will take place at:

The Chaddick Theater at The Galloway School

215 Chastain Park Ave NW

Atlanta, GA 30342

• Friday, August 9 at 7:00 PM

• Saturday, August 10 at 7:00 PM

• Sunday, August 11 at 2:00 PM

• Friday, August 16 at 7:00 PM

• Saturday, August 17 at 2:00

• Saturday, August 17 at 7:00 PM

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at https://www.destinationtheatre.org/the-student-body

There are also reduced priced tickets for students and educators.

About Destination Theatre:

Destination Theatre is dedicated to creating excellent and imaginative touring productions for people of all ages, backgrounds, and demographics. We aim to provide exciting, educational, and high-quality theatre experiences in communities across the U.S. and beyond.

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