Spokane teens perform play to raise awareness about gun violence in schools

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Teens in Spokane are raising awareness of gun violence through theater this week in light of the 25th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting.

Local teens at Spokane Children's Theater are performing a play called Hashtag Enough: Plays to End Gun Violence on Thursday, April 25 and Saturday, April 27.

The performance comes 25 years after the Columbine school shooting in which two students opened fire at a high school in Colorado killing 12 students and one teacher.

According to Education Week, there have been 194 school shootings that resulted in injuries or deaths since 2018.

The play, which was also written by youth writers, is a unique opportunity for an audience to hear from students about gun violence in schools.

Actors in the production said the topic of school shootings is often on their minds.

"When you walk into school or whatever, it's just one of those things," said actor 15-year-old Emmeline Hirt. "What am I going to do if there is a shooting? What can I do to keep myself safe and keep others safe?"

The play also hits close to home in Spokane. In 2017, a student at Freeman High School opened fire killing a classmate and injuring three others.

Students in the production hope the play can inspire productive conversations and impactful action.

"I feel like most people are afraid to talk about it or bring it up, but it's also a really important topic that should be discussed more often and how we can stop these things from happening in the future," said 14-year-old Molly Luttermoser.

Tickets to the show are "pay-what-you-can". Because of the intense nature of the show, helpful resources will be available to the audience after the play.

For more information, visit Spokane Children's Theater website .

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