THE PLAYS THE THING.. Staging a platform for health through theater in the schools

South San Francisco, CA   February 13, 2015 Submitted by Kaiser Permanente

The post performance group photo includes School Board Members Patrick Lucky (extreme left in blue jeans) and Rick Ochsenhirt (center with yellow shirt/brown coat) plus school officials and members of the Educational Theatre Program team.
Photo Kaiser Permanente

Raging hormones, arguments, slamming doors… sound familiar.. Yes, it is puberty and we all go through it.  But, there is a program from Kaiser Permanente to help young people with this change of life and some important issues we all face.  Among them, dealing with peer pressure, building healthy relationships, coping with life’s up and downs, build self esteem and better communication skills..
It’s called “Nightmare on Puberty Street,” just one of a number of plays put on by Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program (ETP) team to reach grade school, middle school and high school students and help them lead healthier lives.

ETP performed “Nightmare on Puberty Street” to all the students at Parkway Heights Middle School

This week, ETP performed “Nightmare on Puberty Street” to all the students at Parkway Heights Middle School.  The play emphasized healthy messages around common challenges occurring during adolescence such as peer pressure and puberty.  The actor/educators provided a five step solution for dealing with peer pressure around dangerous situations such as cyber bullying.   All five members of the South San Francisco Unified School District Board of Trustees plus South San Francisco Mayor Richard Garbarino were on hand to view the performance and meet with the players to discuss the performance.  

School Board trustee Patrick Lucy was so impressed by the performance that he asked afterward how Educational Theatre can be brought into all of the schools in South San Francisco. The ETP program has three additional plays. For the younger children it’s the “BEST ME,” which promotes healthy eating/active living and “PEACE SIGNS,” teaching conflict resolution.  For middle school it’s the “Nightmare on Puberty Street” and for high school students the play “Secrets” is performed to promote Sexually Transmitted Disease/Infection and HIV prevention.  All of these plays are part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to community health and education.

“Nightmare on Puberty Street” is just one of a number of plays put on by Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program

For more than 25 years, the Educational Theatre Program has brought its own “unique style and flavor to address the specific demographics and needs of the communities it serves.”  More than 15 million audience members have experience the ETP plays free of charge.