Pueblo County High School play sparking conversations on teen mental health

James Bartolo, The Pueblo Chieftain
·3 min read
Taylor Anaya, Jordyn Good, Ryan Sandoval and Zach Holguin perform during a 2018 rehearsal of "No One Hears Unless You Scream."
Taylor Anaya, Jordyn Good, Ryan Sandoval and Zach Holguin perform during a 2018 rehearsal of "No One Hears Unless You Scream."

A play being staged by Pueblo County High School students and faculty members is sparking discussions about teen mental health in Pueblo and beyond.

Roxanne Pignanelli, consulting producer for the Arts Academy at Pueblo County High, introduced to students in 2017 the play "No One Hears Unless You Scream" — an original one-act teen suicide awareness play written by Joey Madia, a playwright and educator based in New Jersey.

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"That's the piece we began with but over the course of producing and presenting it to the public, the high schools, we determined that the evolution of all the things that affect children have changed," Pignanelli said.

With input from Arts Academy at Pueblo County High students, the play has since been revised to include discussion about modern issues affecting student mental health including bullying of LGBTQ students, eating disorders like bulimia nervosa, growing up in poverty and isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The piece requires safe messaging because, at the end of the day, we in no way, shape, or form want to be graphic," Pignanelli said.

Following each production, licensed therapists from Spark the Change Colorado are available for audience members to anonymously text and receive immediate counseling. Spark the Change Colorado is a statewide mental wellness program with a Pueblo location at 635 W. Corona Ave.

"Social change has to have possibilities and points of entry for people to be able to make that change," Pignanelli said.

"No One Hears Unless You Scream" will be performed in the Pueblo County High School auditorium Wednesday, Feb. 16, for freshmen and Thursday, Feb.17, for sophomores at Pueblo County High School. The play will be performed later this month for Pueblo West High School students.

The Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School is planning future performances in Pueblo School District 60 schools. The academy also is in the process of arranging performances outside of the Pueblo area including in Salida, Walsenburg, Crested Butte and Colorado Springs.

"Everywhere we've gone ... when we tell people about it, they are like 'Can you bring this to our community?'" said Kennedy Pugh, teaching artist for the Arts Academy at Pueblo County High. "Over and over again that's what they are saying and we are just really excited."

Another performance of the play will be staged in Pueblo for community members on June 11 at the Impossible Playhouse, 1201 N. Main St. as part of the "Mindful Awareness Festival," a local film and theater festival hosted by Colorado Arts and Artist Associates.

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"This work has continued on and it has just shown the importance of it and the students are the ones who really are just driving," Pugh said.

"Students are the ones who are just telling everybody that we need this. I'm so proud that County High School ... started a mental health club down there. The students are recognizing that mental health is definitely a part of themselves that they need to take care of, which all of us need to do."

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County High stages revised and expanded mental health play