By Santi Elbow
The Edgewood College theatre department is preparing to perform the 2005 play “columbinus,” a production based on the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
But before the theatre department was able to begin work on “columbinus,” it had to contact Edgewood security and inform them of the play’s triggering topics of mass shootings and gun control. Trigger warnings were put on the “columbinus” flyers.
Director Audrey Wax, lecturer and box office manager at Edgewood College, said it was important to let the campus know about the triggering content. “We wanted to make sure people felt safe and comply with safety,” she said. “We also wanted to make sure security knew what the play sounds like and the impact it will have on campus.”
Edgewood student Shawn Padley (they/them/theirs), who will act as Eric Harris, one of the two Columbine shooters, said props for the show include fake pipe bombs and guns. “We are making sure that everybody on campus who could possibly see us with these things knows that they’re fake,” they said.
Padley said guns and mass shooting aren’t the only themes to be wary of. “The entire first act deals with the sorts of things high school students in America dealt with and still continue to deal with,” they said, referencing things like self-harm, eating disorders and bullying.
There will be a symposium to discuss “columbinus” on Feb. 25 in the Diane Ballweg Theatre from 12:30-1:30 p.m. The Facebook page for the event says there will be a “panel of Edgewood faculty in a discussion of the upcoming Edgewood Theatre production. . .The panel, moderated by Dr. Jeanne Leep, will discuss issues surrounding the play including gun violence and mental health.” Leep is the chair of the Theatre Arts department.
The production uses both realistic and fictional elements to tell the story of Columbine, said Padley. “The way the play is structured is the first act is kind of a fictionalization of what an American high school looked like in 1999,” they said. As the play continues into the second act, the plot focuses more on Dylan and Eric, the other shooter.
Assistant Director Rachel Seizer said Columbine “was the one that started it all.”
Padley said the Columbine shooting is significant because at the time, it was the biggest mass shooting yet. “Previously when there would be some sort of shooting in a school, it was usually one person targeting another person, but they [Columbine shooters] just wanted to kill everybody,” they said.
Columbine was also a turning point because the internet influenced a “copycat affect,” Wax said, and “it was also the first time we saw students idolize killers.”
Wax said the shooters’ written journals can be found on Google, which “help put live truth into the play.” Padley said along with the journals, the “columbinus” script is based off interviews and a recording of the 911 call from the day of the shooting.
“We are going to do our best to stay close to the story and what was involved,” Wax said. “It’s a fine dance.” The play will be performed on campus at the Diane Ballweg Theatre on Feb. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., March 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and March 7 at 2:00 p.m.
“My hope is that we can have a greater discussion on protocol of mass shootings, especially on Edgewood College’s campus,” Wax said.
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