February Workshop: ‘Mass’ The Aftermath of a School Shooting

The loss of a child is not an event, it is an indescribable journey of survival.

The 2022 calendar year broke the record for the most school shootings in over four decades and marked one of the most violent years for youth ages 12-17, according to various unofficial counts. As of December 20, there were 300 shooting incidents on school grounds so far in 2022, compared to 250 in 2021 and 114 in 2020, according to the publicly accessible K-12 School Shooting Database. A decade earlier, 2010 saw 15 school shootings. David Riedman, founder of the database, shows the vast majority of school shootings this year have involved student shooters.

Elmwood’s February workshop after the membership meeting on Monday, February 6 explores this disturbing and challenging topic with a staged reading of an edited version from the 2021 movie MASS. The aftermath of a school shooting, with its overwhelming impact on the lives of two families, is exposed in this raw and vulnerable confrontation between two sets of parents nearly six years after the event. It looks at the question of whether healing is even possible after such a tragedy with its devastating grief.

The presentation features Alison Costello, Danny Charest, Joann Lamneck, Steve Taylor and Carol Napier, and is directed by Michael Edan. The staged reading is 60 minutes long and presented ‘live only’ so it will not be available to view for individuals attending the monthly meeting via Zoom. It will begin after the membership meeting ends at approximately 8:30 pm.