Lessons Are Learned When Art Imitates Life

Stop-Gap drama therapy troupe recently tested its new, 45-minute “Know the Rules” play on about 50 seventh and eighth graders at Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach.

Troupe co-founders Victoria Bryan and Don R. Laffoon, who’s also executive director, accompanied the four Stop-Gap actors-facilitators who staged five short skits. They interrupted themselves constantly to question students and bring them into the action.

In the middle of one skit, facilitator Tracy Merrifield asked why actor Suzie Kane, playing a teen, so readily agreed to let a fast-talking, flattering stranger who claimed to work for a modeling agency take her photograph at his studio.

Why, Merrifield asked, isn’t Kane’s internal “alarm” going off?

“Because he made her feel really good about herself,” one student volunteered after raising her hand.

“Because,” said another, “she really wanted to be a model and this was her chance.”

In another skit, a student got to play the friend who warns actor E.J. Gage against getting together with the “soul mate” he’s met over the Internet.

“I don’t think I feel comfortable about this,” the student said, overcoming shyness to make her point. “Just because she said so doesn’t mean she really loves you. I think you should tell your parents what you’re doing.”

The play seemed to get good reviews at Thurston.

“Yeah, it was pretty helpful,” said seventh grader Ashley Shepard, who, referring to the Littleton shootings, added that she’d be exposed to similar problems years before. “When I was little, a friend was abducted by a stranger in San Juan Capistrano.”

Thurston counselor Kay Ostensen, who has brought Stop-Gap to the school several times, had only positive things to say. “They can do in one hour what it takes us weeks to do.”