Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre Presents EAT (It's Not About Food)

In the United States, kids are inundated with messages telling them that thinner is better, and when they "fit" our culture's impossible beauty standards, they'll be happy. Those messages can have an alarming and negative impact. Did you know that 80% of all ten year olds are afraid of being fat, that there has been a rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 years old in each decade since 1930, or that of the people that suffer with eating disorders, 30% are boys and 70% are girls and women?

Those are just some of the issue dealt with in EAT (It's Not About Food), a Theatre for a New Generation production written by Linda Daugherty and directed by Kelly Herman that runs February 10 - 12 at the Laguna Beach Women's Club, 286 St. Ann Dr. (corner of St. Ann and Glennerye) in Laguna Beach.

Interwoven with vignettes, ranging from realistic to satirical, EAT dramatizes the confusing and dangerous world of eating disorders in girls and boys. Candidly exploring causes and warning signs, the play takes a hard look at the influences of society and media on young people as they struggle with this rampant and often tragic disease. Suitable for teens, parents and educators.

Performances are Thursday - Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday morning February 11 at 10 a.m., and Saturday February 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 each; seating is limited. For more information, call (949) 497-2787 or visit LagunaPlayhouse.com.

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS WEEK
This production of EAT is very timely because it comes only a week prior to the start of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, February 20 - 26. Presented by the National Eating Disorders Association, NED Awareness Week offers people the opportunity to better understand the issues and causes surrounding eating disorders.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S. are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 15 million more are struggling with binge eating disorder.
Over one person's lifetime, at least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of an eating disorder.

ABOUT THEATRE FOR A NEW GENERATION

Theatre for a New Generation offers thoughtful and compelling productions for teenaged audiences who may have outgrown our Youth Theatre Season.

Each TNG play is a fully-evolved piece of theatre and may involve Youth Conservatory students. Plays are chosen for their relevance to the concerns of teenagers and for their ability to communicate frankly and directly, at a level those teenagers will respect and appreciate.

TNG plays are for teens, parents and educators, and parental discretion is strongly advised. The content of the plays is typically similar to PG-rated or PG-13-rated movies. There is no nudity, but the language may at times be gritty or profane. The subject matter is always challenging, and has ranged from plays about the Holocaust, racism and school violence, to works about damaging rumors about sexual identity and the need to overcome self-destructive behavior.

ABOUT Laguna Playhouse
Founded in 1920, the Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating theatres on the West Coast, and has evolved from an amateur theater into a professional League of Resident Theatres (LORT).

More than 100,000 theatergoers annually attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Noted for its Award Winning Youth Theater, Education and Community Outreach programs, The Playhouse's continued growth, expansion, artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make it one of Southern California's most important nonprofit theatre companies.

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