The Department of Theatre will give all age groups a dose of reality with the performance, “Sobering Thoughts.”

Two performances Saturday at the Drake Performance Center will kick off the department’s winter school tour. Geared toward high school students, the play looks to inform its audience on the problems of underage drinking.

The tour will make stops at high schools in Newark, Bexley, Columbus, Grandview and Groveport through March 14.

The performance shows what could happen at a party when alcohol takes control. The scenario is an unsupervised high school party.

The curtain opens with the characters offering their accounts of what happened after the party has ended. The audience is then shown pivotal moments that shaped the outcome of the party.

Certain issues are addressed while the play unfolds. One character talks of how drinking makes him feel cool and confident. The audience is shown reality and how he really acts foolish and that girls ignore him.

The play also shows the tie between drinking and sexual indiscretion. At first, the teenagers believe the party will be a good time and rationalize by thinking the worst that can happen is a hangover. The play climaxes when a character has had too much to drink and stops breathing.

The play is highlighted by songs such as “Take Another Sip of Brew,” “Betcha Can’t Drink Just One” and “Hangover Blues.” The audience is informed on the effects alcohol has on the central nervous system and the loss of control over heart rate, digestion and breathing.

Finally, the characters have a post performance discussion with the audience on subjects such as substance abuse, why people drink, the role of friends and peer pressure. The play leaves the audience with a chance to choose for themselves what ultimately happened to each of the characters.

“Sobering Thoughts” was written by Jason Kravits in 1993. He is a New York-based actor, playwright, director and musician. Kravits also wrote the play “I was Here First” and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for his performance in “All in the Timing.” He stars as district attorney Richard Bay on ABC’s “The Practice.”

Montgomery County Schools in Maryland contracted “Sobering Thoughts” and it was performed by the Round House Theatre Outreach Touring Company for Washington D.C. area elementary and middle schools.

“The Theatre has been doing its outreach plays for more than 22 years,” said Sue Ott Rowlands, head of the acting program. Rowlands was the associate artistic director of the Round House Theatre when the play made its debut. The company has a touring program, a theater season and a school which offers classes and workshops.

Xela Batchelder directs the play and is a doctoral student. She graduated from St. Andrews University.

She also is managing director for Rocket Venus which operates nine theaters and more than 100 different productions every August.