Play Review: Give a Boy a Gun: Holding a Mirror to America

By Camryn Tyrrell

Originally a novel written by Todd Strasser, the story of “Give a Boy a Gun” was adapted for the stage this spring by Barry Theatre Professor Elena Maria Garcia.

The theatre department’s production, which I attended on Feb. 27, tackles the extremely difficult, yet urgent topic of school shootings in America, examining how they develop and what we, as members of this society, can do to prevent them.

The story centers on the lives of students in a small town called Middletown and is told through the perspectives of those involved in a tragic school shooting at the local high school.

Photo Credit: The Barry Ad Company

However, “The Statistics,” portrayed by freshman theatre majors Angelina Joseph and Erika Magana, along with junior theatre major Natalia Saiz, reminds us that this is anything but just a story.

Their delivery was sharp and deliberate, which grounded the performance in reality.

The play closely follows Brendan and Gary, portrayed by junior theatre majors Jorge Arria and D’Andre Jamieson, and details the relentless bullying and abuse they endured from seventh through 11th grade.

Arria captured Brendan’s vulnerability with subtlety, allowing the audience to see the quiet unraveling of a young boy overwhelmed by isolation. Jamieson’s portrayal of Gary was especially striking. He embodied the internal turmoil of a teenager battling depression and hopelessness, making his character’s descent very heartbreaking to watch.

The years of bullying depicted onstage led the two boys to develop severe mental health struggles, including thoughts of suicide, which ultimately culminated in their plan to carry out a mass school shooting. The production does not shy away from the harsh realities of these issues. It confronts them head-on, holding a mirror up to American society.

Throughout the performance, “The Statistics,” which I previously mentioned, were woven into the narrative, underscoring the gravity of the crisis.

The audience learned that while other countries report gun-related deaths in the hundreds each year, the United States reports them in the thousands.

Statistics regarding children’s mental health and suicide attempts were equally alarming. The figure that stood out to me most was that approximately 84 children in America die by a gun each week. Absolutely heartbreaking!

The story reaches its climax at a school dance, where Brendan and Gary, pushed beyond their breaking point, decide to act on their anger and pain. Armed with guns they had disturbingly easy access to, they open fire on their peers and teachers. The takedown scene was emotionally intense and left the audience visibly shaken.

Jamieson’s portrayal during this moment was particularly powerful, as he conveyed Gary’s fractured mental state with raw authenticity. The entire cast handled the scene with care, making it extremely impactful.

The set design was simple yet highly effective. The backdrop resembled shattered glass, a callback to the imagery of the show’s poster, with an abstract outline of a gun embedded within it.

The actors themselves rearranged the set pieces, which consisted of movable blocks that shifted to create different locations. The use of projections further enhanced the storytelling, clearly situating each scene within the town and adding another layer of immersion.

This production will stay with me, and I believe with many audience members, for a long time. At a time when children and teenagers go to school and do not always return home, this story feels painfully relevant. Art has long served as a catalyst for awareness and change, and Give a Boy a Gun does exactly that by forcing its audience to confront uncomfortable truths.

The play concluded with a moment of silence for the lives lost to school shootings.

As the stage faded to black, a very, very long list of schools that have experienced shootings since the Columbine High School massacre scrolled across the screen. The list seemed endless.

In that silence, the weight of the message settled over the audience, leaving one lingering question: When will meaningful change come?