RIVER FALLS – Stage and Screen Productions at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls will present a free staged reading of “Columbinus” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28-30 in the Blanche Davis Theatre in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building.

“Columbinus,” the award-willing 2005 docudrama written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli in collaboration with the United States Theatre Project, was sparked by the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., one of the first highly publicized mass school shootings in the U.S.

This powerful and eye-opening play, which will be performed as a staged reading with theatrical elements, illuminates the realities of adolescent culture and gun violence by exploring the events surrounding this school shooting and many others. In the nearly 25 years since Columbine, over 375 fatal school shootings have occurred and have led to desperate calls for action, including tighter gun laws, better mental health screening, and funding school safety programs.

“Columbinus” includes excerpts from discussions with parents, survivors, and community leaders in Littleton as well as diaries and home video footage to reveal what it refers to as "the dark recesses of contemporary American adolescence." A post-show discussion will follow each performance.

The performances are free and open to the public. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The cast: Ashley Gardner (Freak/Eric Harris), Ryan Bartley (Loner/Dylan Klebold), Ramie Johnson (AP), Samuel Sherr-Nelson (Jock), Salem Grabau (Prep), Jackson Dang (Faith), Lauren Lindstrom (Perfect) and Bennett Armstrong (Rebel).

Trigger Warning: This play contains sensitive material that is intended for mature audiences. This material includes content that touches on the following topics: death or dying, gun violence, blood, emotional distress, and individual and community trauma.

Submitted by UW-River Falls