'columbinus'

Columbinus, a drama about the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, weaves together police evidence, the shooters’ journals, and interviews with parents, survivors and community leaders to depict the shooting, what led up to it and the aftermath. It examines archetypes of adolescence, drawing on nationwide interviews with high school students.

In preparation for the production, cast members watched documentaries on the tragedy, researched the shooters’ mental health problems and learned how the shooting changed high school culture. The intensity of the play, which features hate speech and graphic descriptions of violence, was difficult for the students, but they felt the message was important. That feeling increased after the Nov. 7 Borderline shooting.

The cast features Clayton Currie of Ventura, Jonathan Irwin of Washington, Victoria Karr of Corona, Amber Marroquin of Costa Mesa, Jacob White of Palmdale and Jordan Erickson, Mahyar Mirzazadeh and Gabrielle Reublin of Thousand Oaks. Director Brett Elliott, cast members, and Cal Lutheran psychology and criminal justice faculty will participate in informal discussions with the audience after each show.

Admission is free. Tickets are available at CalLutheran.edu/theater.