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May 7, 2001
On the
Job:
with
Marie Sparks
Raising
a child today is much different than it was years ago, when the thought of a
student going on a shooting rampage in school was unheard of. Marie Sparks,
education coordinator for TheatreFest, is well aware of the differences. She
has raised two grown daughters, Maria and Michelle, and is now raising an 8-year-old
son, Albert Philip.
Perhaps this is why Marie's latest project, "Bang, Bang, You're Dead," a play about school shootings and violence, hits home. Working with Joanne Owens, managing director of the Theatre Series, Marie was instrumental in bringing this TheatreFest production to campus last week. The play, set in a jail cell, explores the mind of a teen who has murdered his parents and classmates.
"Today there is a lack of tolerance for one another, and unfortunately kids are in charge of their own survival at school," said Marie, who began working in the School of the Arts after graduating from the Theatre and Dance Department in 1994. "School violence is something many of us are in denial about, and we need to get through to kids and young adults."
All the performers in the play were students. "It's a big commitment on their part to take on such an overwhelming project," Marie said. The play was seen by 400 students in grades 6 through 12. "Just as in the adult world, kids have their own set of politics and they need to know that if they contribute to the ostracizing of someone, the results could be deadly," she said. "If one child walked out of here thinking, ÔI need to be nicer and more accepting of others,' then we've done our job."
After the play, a panel of experts gathered to discuss the production with the audience and answer questions, and members of the audience had the opportunity to illustrate their thoughts through drawings and stories.
"I'm a child advocate," Marie said. "Children are great to be around. They have a clarity of mind and heart that adults can't or don't have. This is why I also coordinate the summer program, Arts Voyage, designed to make arts accessible to all children.
"I'm dedicated to making a difference in people's lives," she continued. "If
you can affect one person's life in a positive way, you've done well."