What's it like to be an adolescent today? Student actors from FSU/Asolo Conservatory went into local middle schools and after-school programs to find out by listening to students themselves. Using their own words, KJ Sanchez developed a script from their answers to questions about how they feel about their lives, their fears, their beliefs; how they see adults and the world around them; what they think the future holds for everyone on earth.
Life in the Middle catches kids in that period between elementary and high school when they're neither children nor into young adulthood, often talked to but less often listened to. The actors convey their thoughts and opinions through the distinctive voices they heard and mannerisms they observed while conversing and questioning. In performance, authenticity comes through, even when actors play kids much younger, of opposite sex, and from different geo-cultural backgrounds.
A bit difficult to absorb, though, is the height and, in too many cases, the heavy weight of the speakers. (Interesting: one of the kids they play is very weight conscious.)
If the portrayals chosen for Life in the Middle are representative of the now generation, however, either they represent one that has almost completely separated from predecessors, or the local kids are "different" from their counterparts in other parts of the state or country. None of them seem to be -- as the past has shown them -- active in sports, organizations like scouts or boys and girls clubs, after-school or weekend jobs or chores. Yet they're concerned with their health and the changes taking place in their bodies.
One mentions being at the Salvation Army, but participation in religion seems to be nil. Few appear to be involved in subjects they're studying. Do more than one have homework or dance lessons or go to movies or watch television? Some enjoy family activities but the one with the inattentive stepfather stands out.
Bullying comes off as being rampant. The boy who has moved a lot, always having to change schools and finding readjustment hard, may be more typical than not.
Several episodes involve friends Matt and Bobby, an awkward couple that engage each other -- and the audience -- with their growing friendship. They talk about what have always been typical concerns at their age, especially girls. They and others like them are aware of war but mostly because they know soldiers in Iraq or the like.
The most poignant monologue is Kirstin Franklin's tearful tale from a special school for girls who are pregnant. Her baby's father has changed from constantly hovering over to shunning her. He's acting special with other girls now that he knows she's having a girl, not the boy that he wanted.
One has to question the part that editing and the choice of schools and venues where the interviews took place played in the final product staged by Asolo Rep. As for value, it probably accrues more to the kids' being introduced to theater that concerns them (or any theater, in some cases) and to the Conservatory students' experiences with potential audiences than with the docudramatic form being widened.
