East Dallas Times

— Staff Report

Students in the Lakehill Preparatory School drama class step out from the traditional, non-controversial fare of classic theater to take on serious issues facing today’s young women with this month’s staging of “Reviving Ophelia.”

Upper school students Kaitlyn Wilson, Cally Pope, Alison Hanson, and Clair Heimburger, as the title character, take on roles of late-adolescent girls battling the influences of popular culture and dealing with issues such as identity, body image, bullying, binge drinking, and dating abuse.

Performances take place  at 7 p.m., April 16 and 17, at the Charles J. Wyly, Jr. Auditorium on the Lakehill main campus. Tickets cost $5 for the general public, $3 for Lakehill students, and may be purchased at the door.

The comedy-drama — adapted by Cherie Bennett for the stage from the 1994 book “Reviving Ophelia, Saving the Lives of Adolescent Girls” by Mary Pipher — follows the four characters from first grade through middle school, and then on through high school to graduation and young adulthood.

Intended for middle- and upper-school students and their parents, a post-performance discussion follows each show. These discussions will be led by Sarena Edwards, a counselor with Girls to Women, a medical practice dedicated to meeting the physical and emotional needs of young women ages 10-25.

Elizabeth Schmitt directs “Reviving Ophelia. Other cast members include Harrison Boyd, Hagen Hauschild, Brandon Kinard, Callie Rhoades, Hannah McCue, Sydney Moore, Arden Stringer, Katherine Crocker, Taylor Pike, and Scout Garnsey. Joseph Brooks serves as stage manager and Rosie McCoskey as assistant director.