South Coast teen troupe presents real youth angst

Do you remember Kurt Cobain? He was the lead singer of Nirvana, the group that destroyed the lipstick heavy metal of the ‘80s and ushered in the grunge style that defined ‘90s rock. At the height of his fame, he fired a shotgun round into his head. His fans were stunned.

Andy Rooney, however, didn’t care much. On one of his “60 Minutes” commentaries, he complained about the youth of America, as most older opinion-vendors tend to do. He lambasted them for identifying with Cobain’s sense of alienation, saying that because they never had to go through what Rooney went through as a child, their lives were nothing but cake. What problems could a young person have these days, anyway? He dismissed the hopes, dreams and fears of an entire generation with a single “Didja ever wonder ?” commentary.

The truth is that teenagers do have real worries and fears that go well beyond the latest MySpace comments and ring-tone downloads. Adolescence is a time for figuring out life, searching out your talents and planning for an uncertain future. The South Coast Repertory Teen Players tackle this topic head-on with a production of “Scouting Reality” by Laurie Woolery.

Central to the play’s action are two Hollywood producers, Wesley Cummings and Jasmine Cheema, ostensibly looking to cast the next big reality show. But their car breaks down somewhere in small-town America. Looking for a reality star becomes the play’s central metaphor as the young residents of the town put on masks and make fools of themselves in order to show how “real” they can be.

This is where high school cliques come into play. First, the student council: Arlene (Kendall Horn), Lucy (Stefani Johnson), Lillian Jillian (Emily Wells) and President Andy (Jordan Bellow). These are the school’s brainiacs who attempt to use their political skills to schmooze the strangers. Bellow and Wells particularly excel in their roles as the slick salesman and the sci-fi nerd, respectively.

Then there are the popular girls: Constance (Kaylin Miller), Annie (Claire Swanson) and Mary (Erin Epp). As the girls everyone admires but nobody likes, these three do a good job of showing the underlying pain and desperation faced by girls who need to keep up their images.

A group of lonely kids rounds out the cast. Robby (Kaleb Stewart) and Bobby (Bryce Steeves) add fun and spice as hall monitors who take their positions way too seriously. Mikey Debendetto and Grant Levy add pathos as Sherman and Peter, and Becky King skillfully portrays the dreamy, philosophical Prudence.

Of course, no one turns out to be who everyone thought they were, including the two producers, and this adds another lesson about fictitiousness of “reality,” both on TV and in life. Both the small-town kids and the L.A. strangers begin to learn about the masks that we all wear to protect ourselves, masks that one must penetrate in order to discover genuine reality.

This is one of the main struggles faced by today’s teenagers: What is their role in life, and how does that fit with others? “Scouting Reality” asks these questions. In doing so, the play challenges teens to go beyond the superficial and ponder the true nature of their lives.