Cherie Bennett is an accomplished writer with several teen-themed plays and books to her credit.

So when she says adapting Mary Pipher's New York Times' best-seller "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls" for the stage was the "hardest play" she's ever written, well, that tells you something.

It's because she wanted to do Pipher's book justice, using the word "genius" in reference to the Lincoln writer.

"She's such a seminal figure," Bennett said in a phone interview from her Utah home.

The Angels Theatre Company will stage Bennett's youth version of Pipher's book beginning tonight at The Loft at The Mill. The Angels will present more than 30 performances over the next month.

Directed by Angels artistic director Judith K. Hart, the one-hour play focuses on four girls at ages 6, 13, 18 and 21 as they battle the corrosive influences of popular culture.

The work is youth-friendly and is most appropriate for adults and middle and high school-aged students.

Playing the girls are University of Nebraska-Lincoln students Erin Mills, Rosy Maldonado, Ayana Atiba Sahar and Jennifer Olson as the title character. Gary Henderson and Nick Wolf portray the two male characters.

"I really like what the students are bringing to it," Hart said. "I think they were surprised by how many issues are dealt with in the play. I think they are happy they all survived those years."

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park premiered the youth version - Bennett also has written a full-length play - in 2006 for its touring company, which took it around to area schools.

Bennett said the biggest difficulty in adapting Pipher's book was creating a play out of a book with no narrative.

"Ophelia" is a compilation of case studies, which, Bennett said, chronicles the psychological states and sociological difficulties of growing up female in America today.

"With the four girls … some are closely based, some are very closely based and some are not close at all to the girls (Pipher) mentions in her case studies," Bennett said. "These are very different kinds of issues and very different kinds of girls."

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.

For author Mary Pipher, play is about starting a conversation

BY ERIN ANDERSEN / Lincoln Journal Star

In the 15 years since writing "Reviving Ophelia," the toxic culture for girls hasn't improved.

If anything, the pressures and perils facing adolescent girls - and many boys -are worse in this age of technology, says Mary Pipher, author of the 1994 best-seller.

A lot of things have happened since the book was first published: Columbine, Sept. 11, cell phones, home computers, cyber-bullying, online predators, Facebook, Twitter, sexting and blatant sexualized content in music, TV and video games.

People's views of teens are even more distorted, she said.

That's why she is so excited about Angels Theatre Company's month of performances of the play inspired by her book, and the discussions that will follow each show.

"I remember when I was raising teenagers, there was a lot of …'If you love your kids they will turn out all right,'" Pipher said in a phone interview from her Lincoln home.

"That culture is dead. It is a lot more complicated than that."

"Reviving Ophelia" takes the themes of the book, intertwines the issues of day and brings them to life on stage as four young women share their stories. Because a mission of Angels Theatre Company is to spark community dialogue, open conversations about the lives of teens will follow each show. Pipher will facilitate three of these discussions.

In addition, community experts will host panel discussions on issues facing adolescents and how they affect girls in particular. Topics range from bullying to body image to spirituality and sexuality. Angels Director Judy Hart said she envisions these as conversations rather than presentations.

On Mother's Day - May 10 - Pipher and her daughter Sara will lead a picnic lunch conversation about mother-daughter relationships.

"There is a real mission to educate and empower this community about teenagers," Pipher said.

Which is exactly why Pipher agreed to have her book adapted into a theatrical production for the Cincinnati (Ohio) Playhouse in the Park in 2006.

"When I sold the play and collaborated with the playwright, I thought if kids could see a play along with their parents, it would facilitate a conversation about the issues," Pipher said.

But Hart and Pipher say they hope the "Reviving Ophelia" performances get all people talking.

That includes boys because they will become boyfriends, husband and fathers, Pipher said.

And grandparents because they often don't understand teenagers.

"This will give them a little sense of how complicated it is to be a teenager right now," Pipher said.

Said Hart, "I would love for this to be a community-wide conversation.

"But, if it is only a family-wide conversation, that is good."

Reach Erin Andersen at 473-7217 or eandersen@journalstar.com.