PARSONS – The video, “WARNING: Take Only as Directed, has been described as a new approach to prescription drug abuse discussions with young teens. It is presented by Adventure Theatre MTC and written by Trish Glowacki. It is co-written and produced by James Gardiner and co-composed by Diana Villamor and produced by Chiet Productions. A viewing of the video was hosted in Charleston during the Taste of Tucker.
“It is a film on prescription drug abuse geared toward middle school students,” Villamor said. “But I think it should be viewed by everyone.”
Villamor, who lives in Thomas, said the video is more like a musical that is a documentary.
“What prompted the video is that a boy that I used to teach, Charlie, was a week shy of his 20th birthday when he died of an oxycontin overdose,” Villamor said. “His mother decided to write a musical about it and asked me to write the music. So we did it.”
Villamor said they put the play on in Washington D.C. “We did it one night but it was determined that launching a play is a lot more than to launch a film. We turned it into a film so it could be assessable by everybody.”
The film was made in D.C. with musicians from Los Angeles. “We premiered it at the AFI Theater. If you go on line, it is available with a curriculum download as well.”
“There are several states that are considering using this in their curriculum next year,” Villamor said. “Since the film just premiered in November, we are hoping schools in West Virginia will begin to pick it up as well.”
WARNING: Take Only as Directed is available for instructors online at http://www.nsta.org/publications/freebies.aspx, or on Facebook at WARNING: Take Only as Directed.
