Illuminated only by the dim glow of a flashlight, Michael and Josh stand talking in a jail cell.
"Why'd you kill me? I never hurt you," asks Michael.
"It was more fun than droppin' dudes in a video game," Josh replies.
So read the opening lines of "Bang Bang, You're Dead," a play in which five victims of a high school shooting revisit their killer to explain what he's taken from them.
Written in 1999 by Washington state playwright William Mastrosimone, the play is intended as a message to the "potential killer — the kid in the audience who harbors homicidal feelings toward others," the author wrote. "He will see how horrible and tormented his life will be."
Salt Lakers can see the play tonight at the Center City Public Charter School, 2416 E. 1700 South. The 7 p.m. performance is free to the public and will be followed by a facilitated discussion between the student performers and the audience.
Carla Kennedy, who founded the Human Rights Education Center of Utah, directs the play and said the experience of "Bang Bang" is life-changing for both participants and audience members.
"It's transformative," she said. "When we've got kids killing each other, something's got to be done."
It's also eerily relevant given that two teenagers were arrested last week for allegedly plotting a violent attack at South Summit High School in Kamas, Kennedy said.
"When I heard that it happened, I cried," she said. "This is going to keep happening until we decide as adults that we will not let it happen. We have to address the problem, and how we do that is by teaching kids about differences and how to respond to each other as human beings."
Mastrosimone makes the play available on the Internet, free of charge to anyone who wants to use it. The play, which has been performed across the country, may not be videotaped or recorded, per the author's instruction.
More information about the play is available at www.bangbangyouredead.com. Information about tonight's performance is available by calling 521-4283.
E-mail: jdobner@desnews.com