Inappropriate setting, time to represent school shooting

Park performs play about gun violence in a school

Maria Perez-Barriga

This article has been changed Jan. 17 to correct errors. Echo apologizes for the mistakes.

Park’s selection for the winter play, “The Amish Project” is based on a true story about the aftermath of a school shooting, which is not to be taken lightly.  

2018 has the highest number of school shootings of any year on record, with a massive 82 recorded incidents, according to Campus Safety. With that amount of gun violence at schools in America, this is a sensitive issue with how many people might feel about the role of guns in the play.

Although it is considerate of theater to want to raise awareness about school shootings — which is not an easy topic to do a play about — the issue is very delicate and many people are likely not prepared to see it at a school. The play informs audience members of the aftermath of the school shooting.

According to The Washington Post, more than 219,000 students have experienced gun violence in school since 1999. The high numbers of students affected sadly shows how relevant the topic is in the United States. Watching this play might trigger students who have been impacted by gun violence and force them to relieve their trauma. The play should be considerate of the audience and should handle the representation in the right way.

Many Americans have been affected by gun violence, not just in schools. About 99.85 percent of Americans would know someone affected by gun violence, according to Health. Even for those who haven’t experienced gun violence, they would likely still find the play disturbing.

Considering the record amount of shootings in this year, performing such a play right now might not be good timing. To talk about a sensitive topic that has affected so many people should be done at a different setting or later on when the topic is not so delicate.

About 3 million children are affected by shootings each year and those children are often left traumatized, according to Every Town. With the large number of children affected by gun violence, the play could leave a significant mark for those affected by gun violence.

Some people might not be ready to watch a frightening portrayal of the reality going on in the United States right now. It’s important to discuss the issue of gun violence at school, but it’s too sensitive of a topic to be displayed to high schoolers.

The play will be performed Jan. 18-20. Tickets will be free, but you can donate money to different kinds of reliefs groups that are involved with helping people who were traumatized by gun violence.