North students looking for a break from back-to-school stress should come to the Naperville North NPAC this weekend and see the fall plays, Users and Alky. The show opens Friday, August 26 and runs through Sunday, August 28.

Junior producer Megan Plunkett is excited about the play because it will inform viewers on the more serious issues teenagers may face.

“I think it will impact a lot of people because it doesn’t dance around the subject of teen use of drugs and alcohol, it just throws it in your face and you can’t help but listen,” said Plunkett.

The two one-act performances detail the effects of substance abuse on teenagers. The first, Users, follows several characters and their struggles with drugs. Each character falls prey to a different substance. The latter, Alky, focuses on the side of alcohol and substance abuse and the effect it has on a teen’s daily routine.

This cast has just completed tech week, which is the busiest week of rehearsal for the cast. The performers have wasted no time in perfecting this production. According to junior cast member Nathan Warwick, practices have ended as late as nine p.m. These long hours have paid off because the cast is prepared for the community to hear their message.

“The most important thing that people should take away from this show is that this is actually happening,” Plunkett said. “This isn’t just a dramatic script, but an ongoing tragedy, and an issue that’s occurring all over the country, and even in our school.”

Users and Alky are heavier than most of the other productions that North’s theatre program has done previously. The show features topics such as drug and alcohol abuse, rape, and death. Because of this, Director Andy Simon has given the show a “PG-13” rating.

Users and Alky open this Friday at 7:00 pm and runs Saturday at 7:00 and Sunday at 4:00. Tickets cost $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at http://naperville203.tix.com/Event.aspx?EventCode=896674