Olney Daily Mail

October 19, 2007

MWAH! BRINGS MESSAGES TO RICHLAND COUNTY

By Mary McGlasson / Staff Writer

OLNEY ILLINOIS- The MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe will deliver two performances October 22 for Richland County students in East Richland High School’s Sliva Auditorium – the first an all-school assembly for ERHS students, the second for all Richland County students in grades 4 through 8.

MWAH!, which stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful!, is a 10-member issues-oriented troupe consisting primarily of teenagers who live in the Chicago west-suburban communities of Aurora, Plainfield, and Naperville as well as in Cherry Valley, near Rockford.

Combining drama, hip-hop dance, and original and cover songs in various genres - including inspirational pop, hip-hop, country, and bluegrass – the troupe uses the performing arts to focus on messages of hope and good choices in true-life situations.

The troupe is affiliated with the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots service and advocacy agency based in downtown Chicago and which is part of a statewide community services network targeting at-risk youth and their families.

MWAH!’s appearances in Olney are through the joint efforts of East Richland Middle School counselor Sherry Slankard (618-395-4372 x235) and the PALS Task Force Coalition (Peers, Parents, and Leaders Support).

Slankard, who is a member of PALS, coordinated the troupe’s visit to Richland County as a way to begin Red Ribbon Week.

“I wanted our students to have a positive message for Red Ribbon Week,” Slankard said, “because often students are bombarded with messages about those who have made mistakes in the past and who now caution against those mistakes. These are young people who’ve chosen to make good choices, and we’re excited about that.”

Bea Gardner of PALS agreed. “We always try to do something for Red Ribbon Week, and Sherry’s son has seen this troupe at Clay City. Everyone had rave reviews.”

One of the most important elements of MWAH! is that the troupe members are middle school and high school students themselves and also are involved in all aspects of the production.

Michael Todd Emery, age 16 and a junior at Oswego East High School, has been MWAH! co-director for “about a year and a half,’ and is beginning his third tour season with the troupe.

“The issues we cover are all stuff that relates to us and affects us,” he said. “We’re the same age as our audience members, so we know what they’re going through.”

“Our use of drama, singing, and dance to deliver information on various issues helps young audiences connect to us,” Michael Todd added. “They leave our shows remembering the messages.”

The main focus in terms of impact on the audiences is “letting them know there is hope and there are choices.” Michael Todd said, “and that the issues they are dealing with are ones that many young people deal with every day, including our troupe members.”

“Another focus,” Michael Todd added, “is diversity – accepting people for who they are and not what they may appear to be. The stuff on the inside, not the outside.”

“Most of our pieces are based on true stories,” he added. A segment on drinking and driving relates to an alcohol-related crash in February 2007 which killed five Oswego, Illinois, teenagers.

Other issues to be addressed in Olney, according to troupe director Ray Moffitt, are abusive and controlling boyfriend-girlfriend relationships; the damaging effects of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and effective options for those who are targeted; resources available in Richland County for various types of personal problems; and discovering what is hopeful and good in negative situations.

Two original songs will be included in one or both of MWAH!’s ERHS presentations.

One is ‘Wait Awhile,’ a country ballad written and performed by Michael Todd which deals with the importance of not rushing too quickly into relationships. Another is a new-generation bluegrass ballad ‘Life Goes On,’ which focuses on personal loss, such as death and divorce. This song was written, produced, and will be performed by Holly and Blake Pitney, both 14, and their brother Morgan (‘Moe’) Pitney, 15.

PALS is providing several items to be tossed to the audience during the performances, Gardner said, and will present its Youth Service Award. She added that each student at the middle school performance will receive a red bracelet.

Slankard said the MWAH! appearances in Richland County are a result of tremendous community support because various local organizations “stepped up to the plate” to help with raising the necessary funds. “Thank goodness for PALS and other community agencies. Hopefully the kids will get something positive out of it and leave with a new way of looking at things.”

Michael Todd added that among the troupe’s objectives are causing kids in the audience to think about the issues presented, to give them hope, and to enable them to make the right choices.