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High school (confidential) play offers harsh reality check

High School Confidential is an episodic drama at Steveston-London secondary.

Things get real, real fast, in High School Confidential, an episodic drama at Steveston-London secondary. 

Offering a flair for the dramatic, student actors, from grades 10-12, delve into the often too-real issues facing young people today, such as complex identity matters, drugs, academic pressures, bullying and anxiety, just to name a few.

On Dec. 1 and 4, the public is welcome to take in the play in order to understand what the hallways and bus stops may seem like for a Richmond student.

Co-writing the play — which comes in four, 25-minute episodes — was Grade 11 student Isaac Hoyland, who also acts as Andy, a transgender boy who is bullied to the brink.

Asked why such a dark play appealed to him, Hoyland said: “I think real life is often not nice. 

“There’s a lot of things that aren’t lovey-dovey and lots of people don’t censor their words and don’t beat around the bush. A lot of things are said directly, and not in a nice way.”

Drama teacher Jean Kosar wrote most of the play and chose to use real language, found in hallways at times.

“The kids had some great ideas and they also took issue with some of the language because it is quite shocking,” said Kosar.

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Steveston-London secondary drama students rehearse High School Confidential. Above, a bus stop scene is played out by Alyssa Osten and Isaac Hoyland. Photos by Graeme Wood/Richmond News.

“Kids were shocked by how the bullies treat the transgender kid, so we use some language that is quite harsh.

“But when we spoke to the gay-straight alliance club, they’re called the Rainbow Club, too; they said it rang true as far as how kids are treated.

“Certainly, in rehearsal, [actors] had trouble saying things.” 

Hoyland helped write the scenes about his own character.

“It was a story I was interested in pursuing, especially the arc between the transgender boy and one of the bullies,” he said.

High School Confidential also has a television-like feel to it.

“I’m interested in experimenting with different forms and this was different for us; it’s really like television. The scenes are really short and there’s a lot of them,” explained Kosar.

The play touches on four main story arcs. One is the aforementioned bullying of a transgender student. Another is about two overachieving students wrought with anxiety.

“They have so many things on their plate, so many things to go to, they feel overwhelmed,” said Kosar.

Another story looks at a brother and sister who must live with an overbearing, narcissistic single-mom. The daughter becomes bulimic.

A fourth story explores another group of siblings who are holding a secret.

”She and her sisters have arrived at school and they won’t give straight answers to any questions and all the kids are asking who are they and where did they come from,” said Kosar.

“In high school, everybody’s carrying a secret or two.” 

After the third episode, it’s revealed that someone involved in each story, or thread, is seriously hurt in some manner. 

However, someone has also died and it is left to the fourth and final episode for all the stories to conclude, and for the audience to discover the tragedy.

The play runs Friday, Dec. 1 and Monday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. Tickets at the door. Email JKosar@sd38.bc.ca for more details.