Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert scheer

West Valley College students rehearse "Of Choice or Chance." Kirk Adams (left), Luke Scqala and Amber Howard act out a drunken scene in a park.

West Valley student's play will tour local high schools

By Torre Peña

After her divorce, Laurie Wheeler enrolled at West Valley College to improve her financial situation and to satisfy an urge to write. This spring the college will debut her first play, Of Choice or Chance, in its ongoing Theatre Road Show series.

Each season, Theatre Road Show actors tour high schools, performing for students. And Wheeler's play is suited for its audience.

Of Choice or Chance is a drama focusing on eight troubled high school students, each attending the same therapy group to confront their personal demons. Overcoming her own demons, Wheeler, 38, has battled low self-esteem which prevented her from seeking publication in the past.

"Writing is something I've loved forever; it's my joy," Wheeler says.

After taking a slew of English classes, Wheeler decided to explore other media. She signed up for a film-writing class and joined WVC's Theatre Road Show as a writer.

Bruce DeLesDernier, the play's director and a West Valley instructor, was impressed with Wheeler's writing ability and provided a framework for rewriting the piece.

"I really like the fact that it's not preachy," he said. "It illustrates that high school students, or any young person, has choices they have to make."

Tackling a variety of issues including teen pregnancy, sexuality, alcohol and drug use and the pressure to perform in school, Wheeler is far from squeamish when addressing the subject matter. With an eclectic cast of WVC students, she skillfully interlaces these issues to fit into a 45-minute class period.

Raising a 16-year-old son, Wheeler integrates her own experiences as a teenager with a parent's perspective.

"I was one of those lost teenagers who was into the drugs, who was into leaving home early. I think in every single character there's a piece of me," she said.

At times, adults in the play are as confused as the kids. However, they are not two-dimensional, melodramatic villains that other productions paint them to be, DeLesDernier said.

In one scene a teenager, Dave, has a problem with rage that is rooted in the recent death of his mother. Dave's father deals with the loss by drowning himself in booze. At this point, they both realize that they have to change and must rely on one another.

And at the end of the play, there's a twist that drives home the importance of choices in one's life.

In addition to the play, Wheeler juggles a full-time job managing an auto body shop while taking a full load of classes at West Valley. She also finds time to sew costumes for the theater department.

Wheeler enjoys spending time with teens and wants to obtain a college degree and teach writing on the high school level.

"There's something about teenagers; the potential for everything is there, and it can be knocked out of them in a second," she said.

Many of the actors in the Road Show are not far removed from their high school days, and Wheeler said they improvised some aspects of the play by fine-tuning slang used in the play's dialogue.

Of Choice or Chance opens at the West Valley Theatre April 17-19 before hitting the road and touring local high schools and continuation schools. For tickets, call West Valley's box office at 741-2058.