The video documents the final rehearsal and pre‑show moments of “The Big Picture,” a theatrical production created and performed by teenagers from the Northwest School of the Arts in partnership with Teen Health Connection. Throughout the transcript, participants—students, teachers, organizers, and community members—share their emotions, motivations, and the production’s purpose. The play is built on youth‑behavior survey data collected by Teen Health Connection and transforms that data into scripted scenes that address teen‑relevant issues such as mental health, suicide prevention, sexual consent, substance use, microaggressions, racism, and LGBTQ+ experiences. The creators discuss the rehearsal process, including “train‑wreck run‑throughs,” the challenges of confronting taboo topics, and the collaborative compromises required. They also reflect on the broader impact: giving teens a voice, fostering peer connection, encouraging help‑seeking, and offering hope to both performers and the audience of over 2,400 ninth‑graders. The narrative culminates with the performance, post‑show reflections, and a collective sense of pride and optimism for teen mental‑health advocacy.
Chapters
The first few hours before the show even starts is just calmness for me.
So, we're 10 minutes until show, but I have some notes. This audience is so excited and they are gonna love your show.
And then the lights go out and you're actually on the stage. That's when the anxiety creeps in.
Everything you are about to see is backed up by data. And it's written by our Charlotte teens.
I am very excited about tonight. The big picture, honestly, it's a great show. I'm really happy to be a part of it.
You know what to do. You know all of the exercises. Get ready to act. The truth.
These are our stories, our truths, experiences we have lived.
It's nerve-wracking to think about, but it's exciting. I'm really proud of how it's going to be, and it's going to be a great show because it's going to affect so many people. Without further ado, what's your big picture?
The Big Picture is a play that's written and performed by teenagers from the Northwest School of the Arts in partnership with Teen Health Connection. We've seen how important it is to make sure we're communicating a message of hope and being proactive and making sure that we're thinking of ways to educate and support and take care of our teens. We work hard to do that, but I think it connects in a way that we would never be able to.
Does every teenager on the planet feel this way?
They critique.
I think it's like a little glimpse inside of our minds, of like the teenage mind and like what goes on.
When I was in high school, grader, we didn't talk much about this. It was just like all on social media. So I feel if they see that people such as themselves are comfortable to speak out, it'll make them feel comfortable to like reach out and get help.
The big picture, it's real. I get it. I know it. So going back to about 2011, we were involved in a system of care initiative here in Mecklenburg County, and there was a national conference. And I asked my son to come along with me.
All right, here we go.
1, 2, 3, 4.
And while we were there, there was this amazing group, Interactions, and they did this multimedia performance that was all about suicide prevention. And I'm sitting there next to my own hardhead who has my heart, and I'm watching his eyes get really big, and I'm watching it pull him in, and I thought, man, If Jonathan can get this inspired, I want the kids in Charlotte to have this too. So I reached Northwest School of the Arts, spoke with that principal, talked about that really we want to impact the big picture of teenagers' life-altering decisions. So guess what? That's how it was born.
The poet and author E.E.
Cummings once wrote, it takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. And that's what this production, The Big Picture, is all about.
All right, so if you go to our The Big Picture module in Canvas, you'll see a link titled Table Read, Cory. So let's scroll down and start with Don't Overthink. Character 1 is Philip, character 2 is Jack, and character 3 is Lexi.
We get some data that Teen Health Connection has sourced for us from youth behavior surveys, and we look at that data about mental health, physical health for teens, and we turn that data into stories.
We try presenting it in a truthful way and having them see people closer to their own age communicating in a way that they recognize and realizing, like, I'm not alone. 'Cause there's a person up here who knows what I'm going through.
Shall we show them the draft of what we have?
Yeah.
Yeah?
Okay. Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Couples Q&A Show!
Yay!
This scene does need to have, like, that roller coaster effect of, like, it's really funny and we're laughing, but then towards the end, there needs to be a moment of, like, whoa.
I know specifically for me and my family, mental health was like not a huge concern until my high school years, and then all of a sudden it hit us like a ton of bricks.
In the show, we talk about drugs, suicide, sexual consent, microaggression, racism. everything basically that kids go through.
Hope y'all enjoyed it. You get here, all 3 of you at the same time, say— Say turn-takings!
Since we're talking about these topics that are things that are taboo, and so it's a conversation, and you're starting conversations with this.
Teenagers, they are in this amazing place in their life, and they have such capacity for growth and change and development, and there are a lot of opportunities Eyes up here.
We're getting ready to begin. What we're going to be doing is a train wreck run-through because we really need to know what this looks like.
It was kind of scary at first because we didn't know what the scripts were going to be. We didn't know what the casting needs were going to be, how many of them were going to be about certain topics that my students were uncomfortable performing.
A train wreck run-through is so-called because, like, if we do a run-through and it's a train wreck, You make a mistake, you just keep going. If you're like, I'm not quite sure about this moment, I empower you to make a choice.
The process is long. It's not just putting on a performance, especially when it comes to teen issues. It's a lot of discussing and a lot of compromise and a lot of talking about things that a lot of people aren't comfortable talking about.
Alright, whenever you're ready, Elliot and Cameron and Toronto.
The truth!
So I decided to write a piece on sexual assault, which was The Bad Date. You know, you're not supposed to talk about stuff like that, and we need to. You know, that's things that actually happen and actually happen to teens.
It just gives us a voice and calls attention to it of like, hey, this is what happens in our lives. Don't shut us out.
In general, your energy is fire, and it brings out the energy of the whole stage. I think it's great that Teen Health Connection recognizes that these stories about teens should actually be told by teens. And so this is a great opportunity for them to be like, hey, this is what we care about. This is what we sound like. Boom, here it is on a page. And now here it is on a stage. I am just so excited for tonight. We've been waiting since 2019 to do this in person.
This past week, 2,400 9th graders had the opportunity to see what you're about to experience.
We have 5 minutes till show.
Most of us are just warming up.
I'm feeling good, but still a little like, ha!
I just want to see, like, when I go out on the seat, if they're actually going to cheer for me, because it makes me really happy.
I want my students to walk away with the knowledge that they have the power within them to make change.
A lot of teens think that they're the only one who's going through something, but a lot of the time, many, many, many people feel the same way.
Listen to your audience tonight. Hold if they have laughs or applause or gasps. Enjoy it! Enjoy it! You've created this from scratch. Congratulations and have fun.
Teenagers are kind of like the canary in the coal mine. They tell you what's coming.
We just sometimes need someone to relate to. We need a hug. It helps us as teenagers to be able to perform how we're feeling, as well as those who are watching, like, they can relate to Who they're watching.
And it even pushes people either like out of their comfort zone to like get the help that they need or like have the conversation that they need to have for the healing that they need.
My energy is going to be hot. It's going to be good. It's not going to be bad. No bad energy here. Live your truth.
Perform, perform your scene. Do whatever you're doing and hope something sticks with somebody in the audience.
Without further ado, The big picture.
Every day of my life is the same. Wake up.
Think.
I forgot to do my math homework.
Think.
What if?
What if? You don't want to overreact. God, just stop being so overdramatic. And, uh, to do that, I needed to get a few things.
So, so you got condoms?
I couldn't imagine what it would be like for her to worry about it on her own.
I know, especially when it's It's not that hard to use protection.
Yeah.
Why'd you guys do this to me?
I'm not the person I used to be.
Straight people don't have to come out, so why should we?
They don't have to say, I like the opposite sex. What choices do you want to make? What story do you want to tell?
What's your big picture?
It feels like, I did it. Exhilarating.
It's the best feeling in the world. It's amazing. What you are doing is not only helpful to yourself, but helpful to others.
I know what it's like to be the parent of the teen that's struggling. I know what it's like to be the therapist of a teen who's struggling. I know what it's like to be the community member that wants to put their arms around the teen who they see struggling. And at the end of the day, we're all in this together. But this generation, man, they give me hope.
And that's a wrap on The Big Picture.
It was awesome. It was great.
I think it went pretty good.
It was good.
I think the audience liked it.
I think we were all nervous going in, but going in, yeah, I think going out we were all like more fine about it.
Thank you for joining us on this journey of The Big Picture.
We're all having fun, so the energy we put On backstage and putting on, on stage, which is good because you want that energy.
It's just like a giant family doing everything. We're hanging out, we're talking, we're forming like inside jokes and relationships and little families.
My heart feels full. I'm really, really proud of our students. They've grown, I think, as performers. A ton in the week of performances.
And I look at them, we've come a long way, baby.
I think this is a tremendous deal. I really am very proud that the county is associated with Teen Health Connection. To watch what we just watched just really warmed my heart.
