Performing Arts Troupe Spotlights Life-and-death Issues Teens Face Every Day

Retired Chicago Police Capt. John Roberts knows about loss and grief and substance abuse. His teenage son, Billy, died of a heroin overdose in 2009.

Since surviving that devastation, he has made it his mission to do everything he can to save others. He speaks on panels, he founded GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing), and last Monday, he joined the teen performing arts troupe, MWAH!, to help bring their message to students at Churchville Middle School in Elmhurst.

The director of MWAH! is Ray Moffitt of Elmhurst, but it's been about four years since the troupe has performed in Elmhurst, Moffitt said. The essence of the 13-member ensemble is real-life drama combined with contemporary music and lots of audience interaction.

Substance abuse is just one of the topics tackled by MWAH!, which stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful. Awareness and choices are common themes. Cyber-bullying, depression and suicide, divorce, discrimination, abusive relationships and other real-life issues were among the topics presented to students at Churchville. 

The troupe spoke to Churchville students about the suicide last September of 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick, who had been cyber-bullied for nearly a year by as many as 15 girls. Unable to confide in anyone she could trust, she went to an abandoned concrete plant, climbed a tower and jumped.

Students also heard about Sebastien De La Cruz, an 11-year-old Mexican-American who sang the Star Spangled Banner at the NBA finals last spring, when the Miami Heat played the San Antonio Spurs. Sebastien received extensive racial backlash following his nationally televised appearance, but he was able to deal with it. Two nights later, when he was invited back to sing for the next game, he received a thunderous ovation from both San Antonio and Miami fans.

The objective of MWAH! is to get Churchville students to think about real, life-and-death issues presented by their peers, then relate the messages to their own lives.

Eight Churchville students also were recognized by MWAH! for their leadership and accomplishments, and two staff members were honored for their unconditional efforts on behalf of their students. 

In the rousing finale, about three dozen Churchville students joined the MWAH! troup in a choreographed hip-hop dance they rehearsed together earlier in the day.

Zorian Schiffman, Sandburg Middle School eighth-grader and Elmhurst resident, is one of the 12 members of MWAH!. Cast members range in age from 12 to 18 and attend 11 schools in seven towns in the western suburbs.  

The troupe is affiliated with Kids Do Count and the Chicago Area Project, a grassroots service and advocacy program based in downtown Chicago that targets at-risk kids and their families. For more information, visit www.mwah.net.