New Play Promotes Healthy Eating and Exercise

Dani asks the audience to name their favorite vegetables and fruit.

Max plays video games all the time to escape the pain he feels from his parents' split. He withdraws from his friends and life.

Loaded up on soda and junk food, Tino peters out when he tries out for the soccer team. He doesn't make the cut, and he is afraid he's going to disappoint his dad and grandma.

Kayla's dad doesn't let her play outside because their new neighborhood isn't safe. She grows bored from watching TV all summer.

Dani eats pizza, candy, and dessert – what she calls "cool" food – for lunch. She has to learn a new diet and portion control when her grandma develops diabetes.

Soda Can Man tempts Tino, who later decides to drink more water.

Meet the four characters in the Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Programs' new play, "The Best Me," which opened October 3, 2006 to a crowded auditorium of fourth- through sixth-graders at Washington Elementary School in Richmond. Through song, rap, dance, and colorful costume changes, "The Best Me" encourages young people to exercise and eat healthy.

"The Best Me" is the latest addition to Kaiser Permanente's ongoing efforts, particularly the millions of dollars the organization has given in Health Eating/Active Living grants, to reverse the rising rate of childhood obesity and diabetes. Since 1963, the number of overweight U.S. children has tripled, and diabetes among children has increased ten-fold from 1982 to 1994, according to medical journals.

Like many kids nowadays, "The Best Me" characters struggle to make healthy choices because they are sad, live in unsafe communities, or don't know any better. But by the end of the play, the characters do make positive lifestyle changes: Tino eats a wholesome breakfast and learns to substitute water for soda, Dani prepares a well-balanced meal, Kayla works out inside, and Max limits "screen" time to an hour a day. Tino is played by Hugo Carbajal, Dani by Krystal Young, Kayla by Karla Acosta, and Max by Zach Diestler.

The play is being tested on select audiences throughout northern California to determine what changes, if any, need to be made before the 45-minute "The Best Me" officially premieres in February. Following Richmond's performance, the play was shown in San Lorenzo and Santa Rosa.

Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Programs

Growing up isn't easy. Children and teens face extraordinary challenges on their way to adulthood. Today's young people need help when trying to make healthy decisions. That's why, Kaiser Permanente created Educational Theatre Programs.

Educational Theatre Programs (ETP) uses live theatre, music, comedy and drama to inspire children, teens and adults to make healthier choices and better decisions about their well-being. ETP's live, interactive performances capture students' attention while creating an emotional connection that makes the show's health issues real to them.

To meet the diverse health needs of today's kindergarten through 12th grade audiences, ETP offers four different award-winning presentations. As educational as they are entertaining, each program was developed with the help of teachers, parents, students, health educators, medical professionals, and professional performing artists.

ETP's programs are led by young, professional actors/educators who are trained in peer counseling and who reflect the cultural diversity of the communities we serve. After each performance, ETP provides students, teachers and parents with educational support materials designed to facilitate an ongoing dialogue about the health issues covered in the program.

Find Out More About ETP

• List of Performances
• Book a Show

Kayla shows excitement when Queen Activitee suggests she can stay active indoors.

The program is being created to work intensively with the community collaboratives in Richmond, west Modesto, and west Santa Rosa that are each receiving $1.5 million from Kaiser Permanente to fight obesity and promote physical activity, said ETP Program Director Regina Dwerlkotte, PhD. The program also will serve the rest of the region, she said.

"The Best Me" is the outcome of research that began more than a year ago, Dwerlkotte said. Dwerlkotte consulted a cross-section of advisors— physicians, health educators, nutritionists, parents, and representatives from community agencies—before writing the script, which, with the help of a playwright, took six months. Students and the advisors who viewed a staged reading gave input before the pilot.

During the Richmond performance, Dwerlkotte jotted notes when a transition seemed rough or the few times when children became restless. To gain further feedback, the staff is meeting with focus groups of parents, students, and teachers, Dwerlkotte said. "The Best Me" includes a teacher orientation and curriculum, classroom workshops, and evening workshops for parents and their children.

"We already know from the focus groups that students are really excited to make these changes and be like the role models they see on stage," said Dwerlkotte. "Because the students actively participate in helping the characters in the play make the choices to be the best they can be, they get inspired to be their best."

The Richmond audience seemed to enjoy the play. They enthusiastically raised their hands when Dani asked them to name their favorite vegetables and fruit, grooved to the chorus, "juicy, munchy, crispy, crunchy," and stood up and waved their hands at the end. A few groaned, though, when a character announced the school vending machine's new fare: water, nuts, and apples. After the play, students danced to music playing in the auditorium, while others sought to talk with the actors as they often do after performances, Dwerlkotte said.

Fourth-grader Míjaé—who went up to Tino afterward—said she liked the play. One of her favorite parts was when the actors dressed up as vegetables, especially Tino who, as a tomato, wore a big red wig. Another, she said, was when Max was sad when his dad left.

The play also made Míjaé re-think her diet. "I shouldn't drink soda all the time," she said.

Sixth-grader Omojefe said she, too, will reconsider some of her eating habits, adding that she'll drink more water and consume more vegetables and salad. She also talked about eating foods in moderation.

"I didn't know having fried chicken and mashed potatoes was so bad," she said, referring to one of the lines in the play.

Sixth-grade teacher Dionne Libran gave "The Best Me" two thumbs up.

"The audience participated," she said. "Everyone was able to relate to some portion. In this community, not a lot of kids can play outside."

Kaiser Permanente has been producing free educational theater since 1985. "The Best Me" is the first new major production since "Zip's Great Day" was created about six years ago. Besides "The Best Me" and "Zip's Great Day," the program's other plays are "P.E.A.C.E. Signs," "Secrets," and "Nightmare on Puberty St."

Read more about Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Programs