KarunaNews Story

Young writers are rewriting the narrative on gun violence through theater, helping to engage communities and compelling leaders to take action. Following the Parkland school tragedy in 2018, Michael Cotey developed “#Enough! Plays to End Gun Violence.” New writers get stipends, seminars, publication chances, and feedback from established playwrights, and readings occur in community centers, schools, and theaters. “They’re getting local people to come,” Cotey says. “Maybe the mayor or a state senator [will] see these plays, respond to them, be a part of a conversation, and also get greater insight into what young people are thinking about.” The plays have become a focal point of a collaboration between the South Bend Civic Theater and Connect 2 Be The Change, formed by women who have lost children to gun violence.