Young adult play approaches teen suicide with humor and poignancy
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (Jan. 19‚ 2007) — Suicide is often an unspoken issue that many are afraid to touch‚…
Georgia (Jan 19, 2007) — Young adult play approaches teen suicide with humor and poignancy
Jeremy Craig
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fweyand@kennesaw.edu
Contact/Writer: Jeremy Craig‚ (770) 499−3448‚ jcraig19@kennesaw.edu
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (Jan. 19‚ 2007) — Suicide is often an unspoken issue that many are afraid
to touch‚ especially when such tragedies happen to teenagers.
But Kennesaw State’s playwright−in−residence‚ Aaron Levy‚ deals with the topic head−on
through the mind‚ memory and imagination of a 17−year−old character‚ using humor without
being preachy to reach young adult audiences.
A staged reading of this award−winning play‚ “Pizza With Shrimp on Top‚” will be held
at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Carmichael Student Center. The reading is presented by
the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project.
Levy‚ the university’s playwright−in−residence and an English education professor‚
said the reading is for all — educators‚ teenagers and college students.
“We like to think that the play is as much about life as it is about suicide‚” said
Levy. “The play approaches the subject with a lot of humor‚ but it makes you think.”
In the play‚ Stuart‚ a 17−year−old high school senior has recently tried to kill himself
by taking too many vitamins. The audience enters into a world of limbo with Stuart‚
to find a world with no pleasure and with physical wounds that never heal. Through
interaction with his peers in limbo‚ he gains a better understanding and appreciation
for life.
There will be a “talkback” session with the audience after the reading. Refreshments
will follow‚ as will a chance to meet the new director of the Kennesaw Mountain Writing
Project‚ Dawn Kirby.
Copies of the play will be available at the event‚ and Levy will be available to sign
copies after the reading. For more information about “Pizza With Shrimp on Top” and
its author‚ visit Levy’s Web site at www.aaronlevy.net. For more information about the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project‚ visit www.kennesaw.edu/english/kmwp.
For further information‚ or to schedule an interview with Levy‚ please contact the
writer of this release.
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A member of the 35−unit University System of Georgia‚ Kennesaw State University is
a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing student population approaching
20‚000 from 132 countries. The third−largest university in Georgia‚ Kennesaw State
offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚ including a new doctorate
in education.
MORE NEWS…
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 38,000 students. With 13 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
