ARVIAT/CRYSTAL BEACH - Canadian playwright Lindsay Price had a feeling of quiet satisfaction when she learned one of her plays had been performed in Arviat earlier this month.

Canadian playwright Lindsay Price was happy to hear her play, The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note, had been successfully performed by students in Arviat. - photo courtesy of Lindsay Price

The John Arnalukjuak High School Drama Club tackled the sensitive topic of suicide with its rendition of The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note.

Price, 41, said the success of the Arviat production shows the themes of the play to be universal.

She said a group of students from anywhere can pick it up and find something to relate to.

"I understand English is a second language to most of these students and that means quite a bit to me," said Price.

"They were still able to connect and bring it to life, so it was pretty amazing."

Price's company, Theatre Folk (theatrefolk.com), in based out of Crystal Beach, Ont., where she writes plays specifically for schools and student performers.

In fact, her entire career has seen her write plays for that particular age group.

Price said sometimes she writes large cast, beginner plays for students who are just starting out, while, at others, she's does adaptations of classical works or issue plays.

She said suicide is an issue that resonates with people everywhere.

"I haven't seen a production of this play, regardless of where it was, where a student hasn't come up to me with personal experience with suicide.

"It was a very relevant topic I knew had to be brought to the stage.

"I haven't been touched, personally, by suicide, but I've always been able to take characters, put them in a situation and see how they respond.

"I'm a character-driven writer, so I'm never really looking at my own life, but, rather, creating three-dimensional characters and giving them a problem to solve."

The central character of The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note, Jake, has more than one problem to solve.

He thinks the suicide note is his big problem, but

that turns out to be how he feels about Ken.

Price said a playwright strives to make their characters as lifelike and three-dimensional as possible.

She said she knows she's done a good job when any student can pick up her play and find something to connect to.

"I don't know if an adult sees a play and then makes a decision to change their life based on it.

"However, I see it time-and-time again at the high school and middle school level.

"I firmly believe theatre can change lives at that level."

Price said she wishes more school administrators were cognizant of the fact theatre has the power to help students build self-confidence, self-expression and communication skills.

She said those skills are necessary in the real world, and she knows of nowhere else kids can learn them except a process like being in a play.

"It takes a lot of confidence for a 15-year-old to not be embarrassed by stepping outside of themselves and onto a stage to deliver a performance.

"I'm constantly amazed by how that can change somebody's life.

"A lot of teenagers feel they're alone when going through an issue.

"Then to see a character in a play say thoughts that are actually in their head, makes them realize they're not as out of place as they thought and that's a powerful thing."

Price said The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note is an issue play, and it's not her job to provide a nice rosy ending.

She said everyone reacts to, and deals with, an issue differently, so a writer can't provide one solution that works for everyone.

"An issue play should offer a question for post-play discussion, so the play lives on in the audience and how they talk about it.

"Humour is important too, because it's important to look at the opposite side of an issue.

"Issues such as suicide are often so intense, overdramatizing them is like hitting a hammer on a nail that's already been put in.

"It's just not necessary because the issue, itself, is already dramatic."