Project: Shattered Silence, an annual youth theater program at Ruth Eckerd Hall, provides a voice to local teenagers, who share their moving and emotional journeys towards adulthood with an audience.
The project is much more than a typical high school production. The students, who come from throughout the Tampa Bay area to participate in REH’s Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute, tell their personal stories, which range from lighthearted and humorous anecdotes to serious topics such as suicide, eating disorders, cutting and LGBT themes.
“[P:SS is] about showing people that we are diverse on the outside, and even though our stories differ, how we feel on the inside is all very similar, no matter what our race or religion or sexual orientation or financial background,” said Jared O’Roark, creative director at REH. “What this group created was a way to showcase many voices, and in turn make it sound like one voice. That we are all walking together on this crazy journey, and we don't have to agree. It isn't about agreeing, it is about just trying to understand.”
The documentary will air on WEDU on Jan. 30.