Dead Serious...About Life March 7-8 at HHS

Courtesy of Jarrod Weiss

• Every 38 seconds, a teenager will attempt suicide.
• Approximately 11 young people between the ages of 15-24 die every day by suicide.
• Every 60 seconds a child is born to a teen mother.
• One out of three 13 to 15 year olds have had sex.
• Each day, 2,989 kids find out that their parents are getting divorced.
• In 24 hours, 15,006 teens will use drugs for the first time.
• One in 5 teens say they have purposely injured themselves.
• Nearly one in five teens has tried prescription medication to get high.

These statistics are alarming!

If you have teenagers, you know the daily pressures and issues that they face are enormous. Where do you begin? How do you help them? Well, there is a group in the Cincinnati area who have something that can reach out to hundreds of junior high and high school kids. And it is coming to Cincinnati and will impact hundreds of students.

On Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8, a musical drama performance of "Dead Serious...About Life" will be presented at Hillsboro High School.

The performance on Saturday begins at 6 p.m. and the Sunday performance begins at 3 p.m. The musical will be performed by a group called Mishpachah, Inc., which is based out of Mason.

Mishpachah, Inc. is an auditioned group of high school students from the Cincinnati, Ohio area who participate in this community drama/music group. The group's unique name "Mishpachah" is a Hebrew word that means family or clan. "Mish" as they are called, is known for their radical and exceptional style and choreography.

In the ‘14-’15 performance year, the group consists of 30 students representing 18 different school districts and 22 different churches.

Since June of 1989, the group has been performing the musical "Dead Serious...About Life" which deals with many issues that teens have to deal with. The underlying subject matter is teenage suicide. The group wrote the script. The music and lyrics were written especially for Mishpachah by Mr. Jay Banks.

"Dead Serious...about life" is a musical written to appeal to teenagers. It is upfront...it is blunt...it is life! The story begins at Todd and Stephanie’s house. Mom and Dad have left for the weekend, so let the party begin! Throughout the course of the evening, you will meet the characters with their different personalities, their numerous problems and their view about their lives. "Dead Serious" will expose us all to the issues of abortion, alcohol, drugs, religion, sex and suicide...issues that all too often we don’t want to talk about or face. Well, hang onto your seat, ' cause this musical cuts it wide open. It will make you laugh, cry, hurt, fear and feel...but most of all "Dead Serious" will make you take a second look at life.

In the past, the group has performed at various churches, civic organizations, youth events, Cincinnati Convention Center, various church camps, Eden Park, shopping malls, numerous high schools, Six Flags Over Mid America, Kings Island Amusement Park, and Disney World. They have toured to: Florida, Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, North & South Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, Virginia, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nebraska, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Alabama and Ohio.

The group has performed this musical for more than 100,000 people and has counseled over 8000 young people following their performances. Not only has this ministry changed the lives of those teens who participate, but thousands of others who have had the opportunity to see this production.

For ticket information about the performance at Hillsboro High School, please visit www.mish-inc.com or call 800/459-7268. Tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Tickets will only be pre-sold until Thursday, March 5. We do advise people to purchase tickets in advance.