CAPE CORAL, Fla. — On Friday, The Belle Theater in Cape Coral was teaming up with the non-profit, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), who reports in 2021, over 48,000 Americans took their own lives.
The partnership if for Heathers The Musical: Teen Edition, which is based on the 1989 cult classic film, that has a large focus on teen suicide.
Click herefor tickets and show times held only this weekend.
Tyler Young, the Founder of the Belle Theatre told Fox 4 he wasn't sure about the play back in the spring.
“In the spring I asked a student who was talking about doing it, what is it about Heathers..why? ..because i can't stand it,” said Young.
Young told Fox 4 he quickly learned the impact this play could have not only on his audience but also those on his production team.
“She said because it's real, two words changed my whole outlook on the show,” said Young.
It's an outlook that Young said was shared by his all-volunteer cast, and for Dakota Johnican, meand a little more.
“I have had struggles and I have thought about it before and i thought that nobody cared about me,“ said Johnican.
Johnican, who is an actress in this weekends production said sometimes it feels like more than just acting for her.
“It feels like we are really connecting with our audience on a real personal level. As opposed to just entertaining,” said Johnican.
Young said this is where the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention takes this play to another level.
“They have a suicide prevention hotline and really working to create awareness–suicide in young people is one of the leading causes of death,” said Young.
The AFSP reports that:
1. Suicide is the11th leading cause of death in the US
2. In 2021,48,183 Americans died by suicide
3. In 2021, there were an estimated1.70M suicide attempts
“Heres is a resource so if you are struggling with this personally and this show is bringing something out for you even on an internal level here,here is this organization that is here to help,” said Young.
Heathers does feature some adult language and content and is running from July 28 through Sunday July 30—Click here for show times.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, a mental health professional can help.
If you are currently in a state of distress, please use these resources.
- The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Find more information about the Lifeline at suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Press the button below to call directly or dial 988.
- Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves. Find more information about the Veterans Crisis Line at www.veteranscrisisline.net. Press the button below to call directly or dial 800-273-8255 and press 1.
- Text from anywhere in the USA to text with a trained Crisis Counselor.
- Every texter is connected with a Crisis Counselor, a real-life human being trained to bring texters from a hot moment to a cool calm through active listening and collaborative problem solving. Find more information about the Crisis Text Line at crisistextline.org Press the button below to text directly or text TALK to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor for free, 24/7.
