Local teen writes, directs play to shed light on depression and suicide

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Summer – even in the blistering heat – is widely considered one of the most enjoyable times of the year. The kids are out of school, the days are longer, and these three months are a time to relax and enjoy. That is, unless you’re Joya Polk.

Polk is the writer and director of the upcoming play, "Maybe Tomorrow.” With the play set to open on August 5, 17-year- old Polk has had anything but a relaxing summer; in addition to putting on her show independently, the recent high school graduate is working two jobs, and trying to fit in as much down time as possible before she heads off to Lamar University come fall. Putting on this performance on her own has been no walk in the park.

“This is more of an independent endeavor, and it's a different experience but it's definitely been educational… and shown me some different sides of theater that I haven’t seen before,” Polk said.

Watch the full interview here.

The numerous responsibilities involved with putting on a play were unable to phase Polk, however, and she has remained steadfast in her mission to share her story – a universal yet personal tale – with her audience.

“[It was important to] build a support system of people that I [could] outsource my responsibilities to because it's just a lot more than I have ever done before,” Polk said.

“Maybe Tomorrow” is a short play that centers around the issues of depression and suicide. The play explores the darker side of teen living and provides a statement on the increasing presence of teenage suicide. The one-act-play analyzes the impact of these issues, which remain widely unacknowledged, can have on our lives. Polk cited several reasons for why she wanted to produce “Maybe Tomorrow,” for a chance for personal closure, a prompting from God, and a strong desire to help raise awareness regarding suicide and depression.

“I realized through research that I struggled with situational depression from about the ages of 10 to 15,” Polk said. “It really helped me connect more and really authentically write this play because I had actually drawn from some of my own experiences.” There are a number of messages from the show; however, the director has a very poignant note on her piece.

“I want people to know that there is an issue. There are problems in this world, there are mental illnesses, there are unpopular situations that people go through that might be hard to face,” Polk said. “I want people to know that there is hope – that there is hope for [you] even if you feel this way and that there's hope for you as a person to make this world a better place.”

“Maybe Tomorrow” will be showing August 5 at the Oklahoma Community Center and August 6 at the South County Community Center at 7 p.m. Admission is $7, and tickets must be purchased in advance by emailing maybetomorrowticketinfo@gmail.com.

To watch a video interview with Joya, click here.