Heartfelt 'Fast Forward' speeds actors' growth

THEATER | About Face Youth members worked on oral history for two years

The 19 performers who comprise the cast of About Face Youth Theatre's new show, "Fast Forward," are not professional actors, yet they seem utterly at home onstage. And because they fearlessly wear their hearts on their sleeves, they manage to generate the kind of genuine emotion you might expect from far more seasoned performers.

Many of these actors -- who for the most part are still in their high school or early college years -- also manage to shift quickly and easily from one character to another. Sometimes they play aspects of themselves or their peers, but just as often they deftly conjure the many different parents and teachers who have such impact on their lives, and who for the most part seem so woefully ill-equipped to provide the kind of sex education they crave.

Seamessly directed by Paula Gilovich, and created by its cast (with assistance from teaching artists J. Eric Fisher, Sara Kerasas, Dan Stermer and Sarah Sullivan), "Fast Forward" is the product of two years of work, much of it rooted in oral histories shaped for the stage.

And while About Face is primarily devoted to exploring issues of sexual identity, this production delves into issues as mainstream as teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS infection and, most notably, the way the whole issue of sex education invariably becomes intensely politicized.

Set in the quintessential American classroom (and Collette Pollard's set, with its tile floor, chalkboards and movable chair-desks does the trick), "Fast Forward" homes in on teenagers' experiences as they discover who they are and how they are to lead their lives.

There is the classic "flaming queen," who learns to defuse harassment with comedy. There is the gay black kid whose conservative father is on his deathbed before he can voice his love, if not his approval. There is the gaggle of teen girls who giggle at their first sight of a condom dispenser. And there even is a sweet scene at a roller rink where sexual identities are still as unsteady as the skaters.

The truth is, there is nothing really new about the situations described here. Adolescence was never easy, and "coming out" only complicates matters. But the show's simple plea for education -- honest, pragmatic and in sync with contemporary life -- turns out to be the stuff of moving drama.