DEDICATED to the voices that were silenced by the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999, Columbinus presents itself as a docudrama, using real-life transcripts, reports and video footage to re-visit the tragic accounts of almost a decade ago. Se
t in a fictional high school, all the stereotypes – identikits, jocks, geeks – are laid bare, from the competition on the playing fields to the bullying in the classrooms.
Writers Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli do well to juxtapose the everyday hierarchies with the atrocity looming; a stripped-back stage and screen chronicling the path from the kids' banal morning rituals to a rampage that will result in 15 deaths, including the shooters.
The cast are universally excellent, particularly during the aftermath scenes where they talk direct to the audience, recalling reports from the friends of victims and the children's parents, while small touches like the schools banner: "Through These Halls Pass the Finest Kids in America", are a chilling indictment to how little is understood about today's youth culture.
But while this is beautifully played, thought-provoking theatre, it is, nonetheless, a tricky one to reconcile. The depiction of the Columbine shooters is murky and loose, and the piece – perhaps unsurprisingly – never quite exposes the cultural and personal pathologies that led up to the shootings.
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The full article contains 231 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
