The Second Best School Shooting

Pleasance

How do two teenagers navigate a deeply divided world, the chaos of social media, rising populism, and… well, just surviving high school? Through sharp and gallows humor, as it turns out.

Written by former US public school teacher Alice Stanley Jr (who also stars in the improv cast of Baby Wants Candy) and developed alongside hundreds of students, teachers, and survivors, this show tackles the devastating reality of US school gun violence head-on. The dialogue is brilliant and razor-sharp, and shows the coping mechanisms kids, parents, and educators adopt to make sense of a nonsensical state of affairs.

The acting is first-class, balancing humour with tense moments that moved the audience to tears at points. It’s dark, thought-provoking, and surprisingly funny.

An absolute must-see this Fringe—equal parts hilarious, heartbreaking, and vital.

Our (teen) mini- reviewer summed up the roller-coaster of emotions perfectly: “I was expecting to be depressed, but I ended up laughing until I cried! I learnt a lot more about gun violence and politics in the US in a short hour.”

(Written by Annette So)