The Heyworth Star and The Pantagraph
September 12 , 2008
Performing arts troupe gives teenagers hopeful message
By Troy Semple
Four years ago, the Heyworth Junior-Senior High School principal had to deal with the deaths of two students in a rollover crash in rural Wapella and a grieving school and community.
Asmus again shared the heartbreak of that day as part of two performances by the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe at the school.
The 11-member MWAH! -- it stands for "Messages Which Are Hopeful" -- ensemble is comprised of Chicago-area youth from ages 9 to 17. They use skits, popular and original music and other performance art to convey the dangers of underage drinking, bullying and racial hatred and offer positive messages.
Many of the troupe members have been subjected to abuse themselves, according to troupe director Ray Moffitt.
"They’ve experienced some of the things we’ve talked about," Moffitt explained. "We look for young people who pretty much have their heads together and not only have talent, but are also motivated to spread the messages of hope."
Troupe member Niko Burton, an eighth-grader from Plainfield, said he once was a victim of bullying. A MWAH! performance at his school piqued his interest.
I was kind of laughing at them at first, Burton said of the performance. As the day went on I kind of got a message out of it. One day I e-mailed Ray and was so surprised I got an e-mail back.
"Eventually I started going to practices and now I have my second family."
As troupe members performed Josh Groban’s "You Raise Me Up" during one skit, Burton sat alone in a chair while offstage voices taunted him with racial slurs and verbal abuse. One derided him for socializing with an overweight girl and asking, Who but an idiot would even think about sitting with the ugliest, stinkiest slob in the whole school?
Ian Rodriguez related the story of a 2007 crash involving alcohol in which five Oswego teenagers were killed.
"You may be thinking, ‘Hey, I’m a good person, it can’t happen to me,’" Rodriguez said. "But guess what? The five teenagers who died, according to those who knew them, were good people. The adult driver, according to those who knew her, was a good person."
Asmus reminded students of a memorial bell, which is rung at the end of Heyworth football victories. One final toll is in memory of Jake Wilson, one of the Heyworth students killed in the May 2004 crash. "When we do that tonight, remember what he (Rodriguez) said to you," said Asmus at Friday’s performance. "Have fun, live life, be safe and take care of each other."
Other topics the group addressed included anorexia, the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, and conflict resolution.
Moffitt, who formerly lived in Bloomington-Normal and once did social work at a local children’s home, said the troupe began about 14 years ago. It stays fresh with an ever-changing lineup of performers. "We like to keep the group teen-aged because that’s the same age as the audiences for the most part," Moffitt said.
The troupe is affiliated with charitable organization Kids Do Count, Inc. and the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots advocacy agency targeting at-risk youth and their families. The group performs at schools and conferences across the Midwest.
Niko Burton (left) and Christian Rodriguez perform a piece that focuses on tolerance and bullying during the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe's appearance at Heyworth Junior-Senior High School.
Photo: Troy Semple, photographer and editor of the Heyworth Star
MWAH! troupe member Matt Michels places a white cross at the beginning of a piece about teenage drinking and driving. The piece focused on crashes in Heyworth and Oswego that killed a total of seven teens.
(photos by Troy Semple / Heyworth Star and The Pantagraph)