On January 25, 2015, MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe did a show in Naperville at St. Raphael Catholic Church for high school age students from Catholic youth groups in the Naperville area. On Sunday night, they gathered in the chapel at St. Raphael for the performance.
Every MWAH! show opens in a similar way: Taylor introduces the troupe before introducing Levi, who begins that narration through the different “pieces” that MWAH! does during the performance. These pieces, often accompanied by pictures and sometimes followed by songs, tell the real life stories of young people who have faced deep struggles and how they have dealt with them. On January 25, Levi told stories of Mike Brown and Ferguson, Eric Garner and the officers killed in New York City, and Demario Bailey’s death in Chicago.
Zorian telling the story of the Charlie Hubdo shooting and the protest marches that followed
Later, Zorian spoke of the Charlie Hebdo shooting on January 7 this year. He talked of the millions of people in Paris and around the world who marched under the banner of “Je suis Charlie.” He also spoke of those who marched in oppostion to the “Je suis Charlie” marches. These were his words:
“There were others, however, although fewer in number, who marched with the slogan ‘Je ne suis pas Charlie,’ meaning ‘I Am Not Charlie.’ These protesters perceived some of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons as over the top to the point of being too offensive, too irreverent, to anti-religious, and too provocative. So we have a continuing war of what we believe and how we express our beliefs, and whether we should be able to express our beliefs no matter how agreeable or repugnant, even hateful, they may seem.”
Sophie playing violin for “Nothing More” following Chad’s story of Nelson Mandela
Later in the show, troupe member Chad talked about Nelson Mandela and his fight against apartheid and racism in South Africa. He told the audience about Mandela’s time in prison and his later election as the first black president of South Africa. He reminded students that Nelson Mandela’s message, to both blacks and whites, was to learn to be humble and kind, to relearn how to love and to forget the hate we have been taught. Chad’s narration was followed by the song “Nothing More” lead by various troupe members and accompanied by a few students from the youth groups that were in attendance at the show.
Many other topics were discussed at the MWAH! performance at St. Raphael. Topics from suicide and teen drinking, drug addiction and child abuse, to diversity and inclusion. MWAH!’s goal as a troupe is to start a dialogue about things students might be struggling with, opening the door for them to talk to teachers, youth leaders, or friends about the difficulties they are facing. Sometimes the topics we cover seem dark or too deep for the young people we speak to, but we have seen, time and time again, that often this is exactly what students need to spark a conversation that leads to them getting help in the struggles they are facing.
That is what matters to MWAH!, that students are getting help, that they are reminded that they are not alone, and that they come to see hope as something they can reach for.
MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe 