We recently welcomed five Marquette Senior High School seniors to the studio to discuss their upcoming final performance of "Painless, the Opioid Musical," by Jacob Ryan Smith. The 35-minute production features 11 songs and begins by mirroring a relatable, mundane high school drug awareness assembly before rapidly shifting into intense, real-life narratives of addiction and recovery. The student cast (MSHS seniors Nate Wood, Reya Ghiardi, Marin Johnson, Avonlea Kuhlman, and Jonah Hardenbergh) explained that theater and music offer an emotional depth that traditional lectures lack, allowing audiences to truly grasp the raw severity, diverse perspectives, and fast-moving nature of the opioid crisis.
Portraying characters based on real people brought a profound sense of responsibility and humility to the young actors. After a busy tour that included seven in-school performances and visits to neighboring high schools, the cast was thrilled by how deeply the material resonated with their peers, who were frequently overheard singing the show's tunes long after the curtains closed. The production had an even more amplified effect on the general public, drawing emotional reactions and personal stories of loss and recovery from adult audience members. Throughout the process, producer/director Sheila Grazulis kept the students grounded by reinforcing the gravity and everyday reality of the struggles they were embodying on stage.
Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Wood, Ghiardi, Johnson, Kuhlman, and Hardenbergh about "Painless":
Heading into their twelfth and final show, the cast members expressed a bittersweet mix of pride and nostalgia. Having performed together across various local productions for over a decade, the close-knit group views this poignant performance as the perfect conclusion to their high school theater careers before they graduate and head off to college. Audiences can catch this powerful final performance of Painless on Wednesday, May 27th, at 7:00 PM in the Community Room of the Peter White Public Library.
For more information on "Painless, the Opioid Musical," visit the Michigan Open website.
