The TeenAge Communication Theater is a Planned Parenthood initiative in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where students not only learn about various mental health subjects with an emphasis on sexual education but also perform skits around the area to educate others.

Many students fulfill their community service requirements through the theater. It allows group members to learn about a variety of topics and educate the Dallas community through skits and performances, according to the Greenhill students who participate in TACT.

The goal of the group is to provide teen-to-teen education for students wanting to learn more as well as spread that knowledge, says senior Kendall Poglitsch. They often perform for schools, churches, shelters and juvenile detention centers.

“I think TACT is a really great way to get a message out about mental health topics that some communities, especially in downtown Dallas and the juvenile centers where we perform, might not hear,” said sophomore Valentina Rojas, a first year TACT member.

Performances­­

Many of the performances exceed students’ comfort levels, says Rojas, as they have to get up in front of large crowds and perform about things like body image, abstinence, sexual orientation and teenage pregnancy.

The skits are rehearsed during the group’s weekend meetings and then performed later on.

However, after being on TACT for three years, Poglitsch says she now feels more confident in her abilities.

“It’s brought out my confidence because you do have to get up there and perform on skits that can be uncomfortable topics sometimes,” said Poglitsch. “I feel like I’m a much better public speaker because of it as well.”

Although the skits are meant to educate other people, some TACT members say it has been an educational experience for them. They get to learn more about these subjects for themselves, but also realize the lack of information or misinformation in the community.

“It’s opened my eyes to the lack of knowledge that some people have on sex [education],” said junior Kendall Johnson, who has been a TACT member for two years. “I think it’s just kind of allowed me to spread my knowledge and help others educate themselves.”

Poglitsch and Johnson have both risen through the group’s hierarchy to become what are known as Team Leads. These are group members who don’t act but instead play an educational role.

At the end of skits, the Team Leads direct questions to the audience and sometimes the people in the skit will stay in character so the Team Leads can ask them questions.

One skit that stood out to Rojas was when the TACT team performed at Cafe Momentum, a restaurant that employs teenagers from the ages of 15-19 who have been involved in the youth justice system.

The group performed skits about bullying, stress and sexually transmitted infections.

“No one has ever really sat down and tried to give them that opportunity to learn. So, I think it really resonated with me,” said Rojas. “They were asking questions, they were interacting. It was a great time.”

Why TACT?

TACT is more than just performing skits and putting a lighthearted spin on these serious issues. Many of its members find that it helps other young adults grasp the gravity of these topics. Johnson says she tried out for the theater because of this.

“I think it does a really good job with making teens aware of the challenges that they’ll face in certain situations pertaining to sex [education] and makes them more aware of some of the dangers of the topic,” said Johnson.

Although Rojas is a new TACT member, she has known about it for a while. Her older sister was also involved in the program during high school, and she says that made her curious about the things TACT had to offer.

“Since my freshman year, I’ve been involved in Planned Parenthood with [the] Teen Advocacy Board, so it was around me a lot,” said Rojas. “Especially because my older sister had been in TACT during high school, and it looked like so much fun.”

Poglitsch says if information about sexual education is given to teenagers from other teenagers, they’ll be more receptive to learning, and applying it to their lives.

“I fully believe that teens are more likely to listen to other teens or actually take in account that information and actually utilize it,” said Poglitsch.

In the state of Texas, the topic of sexual education is mandated within the public school system, but the primary focus of the state-sanctioned program is abstinence, unlike TACT.

Poglitsch says TACT covers a plethora of topics and does it well.

“Coming from Texas, sex [education] is not standardized,” said Poglitsch. “I feel like in the skits that we perform to teens, they do understand and hear our messages about these topics, especially if they don’t hear them a lot in school.”

Being able to combine a new experience is something Johnson says she was excited to do and was a driving factor for her joining.

“I had an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and act for the first time,” said Johnson. “I also got to combine that with a passion of mine of educating others and spreading awareness on sexual [education].”

Finding Fulfillment

TACT members say another benefit of their involvement with the group has been conquering their own doubts and fears to perform in front of strangers.

“My piece of advice would be, if you’ve never acted before, that’s not a good reason to not join TACT,” said Johnson. “I think it’s a really good way of getting out of your [comfort zone], and it’s a really inclusive community.”

TACT can be a place for students to let go, and have a good time, says Rojas.

“A tip I would have it to just try it, smile and have fun,” said Rojas. “[The TACT team] is always looking for people to brighten the group up so just be yourself, have fun, and there’s no harm in trying.”

Poglitsch says being on TACT has helped her not only overcome some of these fears but also become a better person.

“It’s made me a smarter and more compassionate person,” said Poglitsch. “It is such a cool and supportive environment and it’s also a great way to give back to your community.”

 The Future

TACT members say they hope the group continues to inspire students to take action and take joy from educating people in the community.

“I hope they keep the light-heartedness of some of the skits, because I think that’s really important in communicating harder topics,” said Rojas.

Johnson says she wants to see TACT become more involved politically, and in a more hands-on way.

“I would like to see us more involved in certain political stances,” said Johnson. “Even though skits are a really good way of educating different groups of people, I think there’s more we can do to actually do more hands-on work.”

Not only is TACT a vehicle for change, but it allows students to meet people from other schools, and communities that share similar goals to spread awareness, according to Johnson.

“I really hope it further expands to even more parts of Dallas and beyond because I love that it’s brought me closer to a lot of other people outside of Greenhill,” said Poglitsch.