By Brandon HENSLEY

Crescenta Valley High School students have more experiences to share this year when it comes to bullying, and that’s being highlighted this month at the high school in a play called “22% Fear.”

The play ran last week and will end its run today, Friday, and Saturday at the school’s MacDonald Auditorium. Showtimes are 7 p.m.

The play ran last school year, and comes from an anonymous survey of students who wrote about being bullied. It was found that 22% of the student population wrote they had or were having problems with bullying.

Drama teacher Brent Beerman took those stories and turned them into a play for the department, with music by fellow teacher Cathy Chaplar.

“The reaction was very positive, but the kids thought it was too cheesy,” said Beerman, talking about how students in the school perceived the play.

This year, Beerman has changed things a bit. Chaplar is still contributing her piano music, but in addition English teacher Eric Messal and his band put together music that plays on a disc during the show.

“We turned it into a musical,” Beerman said. He described the music as a mix between rock bands Evanescence and Paramore.

The stories are also new this time, and were submitted for Beerman to turn into dialogue and scenes. Topics for this year’s show include dealing with racism, homosexuality and homelessness, and domestic abuse.

“It’s not just about people calling you names,” said Beerman.

  Brandon Hensley