"The Key" Opens the Stage
By Wendy Linden | Photo by Tammy Woodard M.A. '98
Playwright Gino DiIorio crafts a poignant play about the warning signs of teen depression and suicide in an effort to raise awareness and open discussion among high school and college students.
Chris is 16.
He's holding the key to his father's desk drawer, which contains a Smith and Wesson .457.
He's pretty sure it's loaded.
He's not sure if he'll use the key.
That's the opening scene of "The Key," a one-person, 35-minute play, written by award-winning playwright and Clark theater professor Gino DiIorio '83. The play tells the story of "Chris," a high school student struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. "The Key" was performed at Clark on November 11 in front of a large audience in Daniels Theater after pilot performances at the Bancroft School in Worcester and the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention Conference last spring.
"…opening the drawer is one thing. Using what's inside is another. And as of this moment, while I have the key, I haven't opened the bottom drawer. Not yet anyway. Because I know if I do, I will take out the gun. And if I take out the gun, I'm pretty sure I'll use it."
"The Key" was initiated by Sydney Patten, executive director of Educational Theater of New England and the play's producer. With teen suicide reaching epidemic proportions in the United States, Patten saw a need for raising awareness about this issue among high school and college students. Patten teamed up with the Swensrud Depression Prevention Initiative (SDPI) at Children's Hospital Boston and DiIorio to help her develop a program for high school- and college-aged students that addresses the warning signs of depression and suicide.
"Sydney and I started discussing teen depression, which is a difficult topic," recalls DiIorio. "It is hard to find the right outlet for talking about it."
The two decided that theater was the perfect venue because it is so experiential. "We identify with the characters and their struggles. We wonder what's going to happen to them. Often we can say, 'That's my story up there.' And that's what makes theater such a powerful communications tool," says DiIorio.
"Maybe it's about triangles. Completing things. Darkness and light. And clouds. Maybe. The kind of clouds that hang so long you can't imagine a day without them."
Clark collaboration
In developing the script, DiIorio turned to Clark psychology professors Esteban Cardemil and Michael Addis.
"Michael, whose research focuses on men and depression, was the one who steered us in the direction of a program for young men," says DiIorio. "Just look at the statistics. Generally, girls are three times as likely as boys to attempt suicide. But boys are twice as successful. Boys tend to use firearms, and girls tend to use pills. Add in that our culture allows girls to go to therapy, but boys are supposed to be tough and suck it up. It 's almost ingrained. That's where the problems kick in."
This serious issue prompted DiIorio to write "The Key" as a monologue of a high school boy, although almost anyone who is depressed can identify with the feelings which he describes throughout the course of the play. Many of the feeling of depression are universal and do not distinguish between race, gender, age or class.
"This dull ache concerning the madness and meaninglessness of life will be accompanying you for the rest of your days. There will be no rhyme or reason to it and all attempts to figure it out will be futile. So you'd better get used to it because it will not be leaving anytime soon. … Forever. Imagine feeling like this forever. This pain, this cloud."
To find an actor to play "Chris," DiIorio again turned to Clark. He cast Danny Balel '08, a theater arts alumnus who is currently in Clark's Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Beyond the play
The shared vision of SDPI and Educational Theater of New England includes not just performing the play at high schools, but encouraging discussion about teen depression and suicide through follow-up workshops with the teens and their teachers.
The comprehensive program includes two components. First, training sessions with participating school personnel prepare them to help students who may be struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide. School personnel are trained to identify the signs and symptoms of depression, the policies and procedures in place at the school to help students who are experiencing a crisis, and the resources available for support. Trained personnel then run post-play workshops with students.
Second, SDPI reconnects with the people who went through the training program at three, six and nine months following the play to see how the play affected the culture of the school, whether people made self-referrals or referred others, and whether the play helped teens talk more broadly about mental-health issues.
"I was in the dark, in the darkness of the house, and I couldn't get out. The cloud, the darkness had become the only thing I knew. It had become like a friend of mine, part of my day to day existence. I found myself sitting in it. Like a comfortable easy chair."
On the Road
The creators of "The Key" are optimistic about the outcome of the play and the other parts of the program. Patten's first production, "The Yellow Dress," focused on teen dating violence and has been seen by more than one million high school and college students. The production has helped enumerable young people extricate themselves from dangerous relationships. Since the success of the "The Yellow Dress," Patten has focused on replicating its positive impact on youth in the treatment of depression and suicide.
"By putting a program in place and starting these conversations, I believe we will help a lot of people and give them the tools they need to help themselves and their peers," says Patten. "We chose to present the play in a supportive environment with trained faculty and staff, to help show kids that they are not alone and that there are resources available to help them."
"Sure there will be some students who see the play and think, 'Why doesn't the kid just get over it?'"says DiIorio. "But a percentage, I think, will say 'That's me up there,' or 'I know someone like that guy,' and by recognizing the danger signs of depression and suicide, might take some steps to get the help they or their friend needs. If we can raise just one kid's awareness, I think this program will be a success."
"And I started to cry. Cause I was angry. I was angry at life. I was angry at myself. And I was angry at somebody I never met. I sat there in the dark. I held the key tight in my fist. I didn't want to move. I never wanted to forget what it was like to be so close to the edge."
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