News

October 16, 2012

Elmira (WENY) - As we continue through the month of October there are more events to bring awareness to Breast Cancer, and tonight a teen theater group had their chance. Made up of all high school students, the Teen Scene theater Group put on a show about a teen girl losing her mom to breast cancer. A grant from the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes Arts Council is giving teens a unique voice and they're putting it to good use. It may not be Broadway, or professional actors, or even the best sound system, but the effort is grabbing people's attention. Kim stanton is the program manager and the mentor to a lot of these young actors says the performance put on by the group teen scene has a simple goal.

      “The goal is to raise awareness and to give teens a voice as well and let them know they can make a difference in the lives of others,” says Stanton.

      This is the groups fourth play tackling some of the world's major issues like HIV and domestic violence.

      “This is our first play that we've really done for adults as well but we know that breast cancer affects families as well and teenagers and that's why this one is from the perspective of a teen that lost her mom,” says Stanton.

      Stanton help start the group last year to fill a void that's being created by the cut in funding to theater groups by school districts in the Southern Tier.

      “The theater is growing as cuts are being made at the school we're getting more and more kids getting involved here and its just a different way to look at it. The goal is provide them education and providing resources to the community and giving them a voice.”

      Jan Stillman The YWCA Breast Health Program Manager says the area is seeing more Breast cancer diagnosis most likely because of the effort to promote early detection.

     “Out community has a lot of breast cancer the statistics are very high,” says Stillman.

     The director of the play, Hunter Hansen is in high school, but knows how breast cancer can impact a life.

      “If I get involved and one voice and my little voice can get out there it means so much to me because that means my voice is getting out there and then people will hear what I have to say,” says Hansen. “Then people will get out there themselves and get involved. The more involvement the closer we can get to finding a cure for stuff like this.”

     The next project for Teen Scene is in November and they will take a collection of stories from victims of bullying and read them as a series of monologues.