William Mastrosimone's 40-minute play, Bang Bang You're Dead, is a powerful response to the wave of school killings that have erupted in recent times. Mastrosimone wrote the piece for teenagers to perform. To make it widely accessible, he takes no royalties and specifies that no admission fees may be charged. The play can also be read and downloaded free from the Internet at www.bangbangyouredead.com. Walden Theater's teenage actors, in what is believed to be the play's first Kentucky production, opened their season with riveting performances that fully realized the play's potency and pain without once becoming preachy. Mastrosimone's central figure is Josh, an unhappy outsider who -- after killing his parents in their home for taking away his rifle and sending him to a psychotherapist -- shoots and kills five classmates, some of whom he hates and some randomly. The dead students confront him (this seems to take place in Josh's head), asking "Why did you kill us, Josh?" There are no easy answers. Nick Salansky is faultless as the conflicted Josh, who can't stand it that "everybody in school's laughing at me." His victims - Collin Smith, Ayelet Blumberg, Joseph Goldammer, Elizabeth Cox, and Rosalind Streeter -- are equally impressive.
Walden Theater, commendably, is now taking the play to schools in the area and having a panel of actors and volunteer therapists lead a discussion after each show.
