Overview

Zombie Thoughts addresses the topic of generalized anxiety disorder set in a video game world. Co-written with a then-nine‑year‑old Oliver Kokai‑Means, the play was first commissioned and developed by small professional company Plan‑B Theatre in Salt Lake City and toured to 10,232 elementary students at Title I institutions (high economic need) with the support of a grant from the NEA in 2018. The audience is introduced to the formal diagnosis and symptoms of anxiety disorders (which in kids looks like combativeness and is often misinterpreted by educators as willful disobedience), and therapeutic coping mechanisms. The play was vetted by a licensed therapist. Ballet for Aliens was co‑written with both Oliver Kokai‑Means and new playwright, a then-twelve‑year‑old Gerard Hernandez, about Gerard’s experience as a youth with Crohn’s disease. Gerard was a ballet dancer through his childhood, though his health often made this difficult, and the piece required formal ballet movement, so the production was co-created with highly regarded dance company Ballet West’s Peter Christie, their education director. A portion of this play was presented to the Utah Legislature in 2022 to argue for the importance of funding the arts in elementary schools. Zombie Thoughts and Ballet for Aliens have gone on to be produced across the United States and internationally by school groups, universities, and professional tours of varying theatre sizes. This volume offers both plays and an introduction by Kokai and the youth playwrights, which contextualizes efforts for theatrical interventions in youth mental health.

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Reviews

“This is a vibrant addition to the TYA canon. Working from the youth authors’ personal experiences, each play interweaves imaginative participatory pedagogy, humor, and contemporary references to effectively explore physical and mental health complexity in young people.” —Kathryn Dawson, co-author of Drama-Based Pedagogy: Activating Learning Across the Curriculum “These plays impeccably navigate the headspace and heart of young audiences and performers with truthful, boundless energy. Twelve-year-old me, who still lives inside me somewhere, laughed out loud and breathed a sigh of relief saying, ‘finally, a play that gets it right.’” —Georgia Mallory Guy, producing artistic director, ThinkTank Theatre “Zombie Thoughts and Ballet for Aliens centers dynamic collaborations across age, platform, and disability. The result is elegantly simple, impactful storytelling. Let them ‘yap’ indeed!” —Talleri A. McRae, author of NDT Learns: The National Disability Theatre Handbook Praise for Zombie Thoughts: “[The production’s] adorable levity sands off what could easily have been a patronizing play. Instead, Zombie Thoughts isn’t afraid to use words like neurotypical or generalized anxiety disorder while also making jokes about how silly it is that playing with a stuffed hedgehog to distract yourself actually works. Adults do the same things. We all have our fears, and some of us struggle more than others. Zombie Thoughts earns the right to speak to children because its playful, earnest energy just radiates.” —Parker Scott Mortensen, Slug Mag Praise for Ballet for Aliens: “Ballet for Aliens . . . reflects a nimble melding of the authentic voices representing the ripening skills of two youthful writers and an accomplished playwright and scholar of the theater who ensures the structural integrity of the play honors the creative intentions of her colleagues.” —Les Roka, The Utah Review Praise for Zombie Thoughts: ""[The production's] adorable levity sands off what could easily have been a patronizing play. Instead, Zombie Thoughts isn’t afraid to use words like neurotypical or generalized anxiety disorder while also making jokes about how silly it is that playing with a stuffed hedgehog to distract yourself actually works. Adults do the same things. We all have our fears, and some of us struggle more than others. Zombie Thoughts earns the right to speak to children because its playful, earnest energy just radiates."" —Parker Scott Mortensen, Slug Mag Praise for Ballets for Aliens: ""Ballet for Aliens... reflects a nimble melding of the authentic voices representing the ripening skills of two youthful writers and an accomplished playwright and scholar of the theater who ensures the structural integrity of the play honors the creative intentions of her colleagues."" —Les Roka, The Utah Review

Praise for Zombie Thoughts: ""[The production's] adorable levity sands off what could easily have been a patronizing play. Instead, Zombie Thoughts isn't afraid to use words like neurotypical or generalized anxiety disorder while also making jokes about how silly it is that playing with a stuffed hedgehog to distract yourself actually works. Adults do the same things. We all have our fears, and some of us struggle more than others. Zombie Thoughts earns the right to speak to children because its playful, earnest energy just radiates."" --Parker Scott Mortensen, Slug Mag Praise for Ballets for Aliens: ""Ballet for Aliens... reflects a nimble melding of the authentic voices representing the ripening skills of two youthful writers and an accomplished playwright and scholar of the theater who ensures the structural integrity of the play honors the creative intentions of her colleagues."" --Les Roka, The Utah Review

Author Information

Jennifer A. Kokai is the director of the School of Theatre and Dance at University of South Florida. Oliver Kokai-Means and Gerard Hernandez are young writers who found expression in playwriting and advocacy. They have presented on their co-created youth productions at various professional workshops and conferences nationally.

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