You don't have to know much about the National Forensic League and its competition events for high school students to enjoy Speech & Debate, Stephen Karam's play at Diversionary Theatre through April 11, but it's more fun if you do. [Full disclosure: I was captain of my high school speech and debate team a lot of years ago--the rules have changed some but not a lot.] Actually, you don't have to be gay, either, but it's probably more fun if you are.

Kevin Koppman-Gue, Rachael VanWormer

and Markuz Rodriguez are the main

characters in Speech & Debate

^{Ken Jacques}

Speech & DebateSpeech & Debate follows three high school misfits as they attempt to work through their geekiness through performing their angst. Howie (Markez Rodriguez) is a senior, new to Salem (Oregon) North High School, openly gay (came out at 10), and sexually active through hook-ups arranged in computer chat rooms. Solomon (Kevin Koppman-Gue) is a budding reporter who wants to make a name for himself by exposing some scandal, the bigger the better. Diwata (Rachael VanWormer) is a free spirit who feels that her talent is not being recognized by the drama teacher.

Diwata takes out her frustrations on her audio blog, which she records from her room. One evening, both Howie and Solomon are both listening to Diwata when they each hear something that intrigues them. Howie posts a comment on Diwata's blog and gives his phone number in it. Solomon, sensing his big break is near, phones Howie to question him about what he knows of a sex scandal that is rocking the town (the town mayor has been discovered soliciting sex with young men and boys). Over time, the three students are thrust together, and they follow through with Diwata's idea to become members of Salem North's nascent speech and debate team, though each has a different reason for joining. Eventually, they attract a local reporter for the Oregonian newspaper (Wendy Waddell, who doubles as a teacher in Act 1) to cover their activities, and the three end up baring their souls (and some other parts of their bodies) in a hilarious performance art piece conceived and directed by Diwata.

Mr. Karam wrote Speech & Debate when he was 25, so he undoubtedly still remembers high school well enough to create dimensional characters (which the three teens are - the two adults are another story). He's also done his homework and he's got more on his mind than portraying geeky high schoolers. In fact, he includes a transcript of an online conversation between former Spokane Mayor Jim West and a young man in the script, as well as the apology that Mr. West issued to his constituents when he resigned. He also cleverly sets his scenes to correspond with one of the NFL competition events, and he generally follows the rules of those events or deliberately breaks them for effect.

Interestingly, Mr. Karam's characters are either so self-absorbed or so blasé that issues such as adults having sex with minors, boys coming out as gay in elementary school, or young people being sent off to ex-gay reparation therapy camps (issues about which adults often become incensed) do not faze them much. Indeed, the only issue that seems to rattle cages is that of abortion, and even that one doesn't resonate loudly. In writing a play about such narcissistic characters, Mr. Karam risks seeming the same as a writer, and his ending is a little too pat. I'd call Speech & Debate a good early effort and I'd hope that we'll see more from Mr. Karam as he matures.

I have no hesitations about recommending this production, however. Under Jason Southerland's creative and sensitive direction, each character is carefully defined and attuned to the others. Though Mr. Koppman-Gue is the only one of the three students who looks as though he could still be in high school, it doesn't really matter. Mr. Rodriguez has a sexy and liberated quality that contrasts nicely with Mr. Koppman-Gue's "best little boy in the world." If I could dole out an acting award for the first quarter of 2010, it would go to Ms. VanWormer. Fresh off her quirky aspiring journalist in the Rep's boom, she takes an even wilder young woman and bends the character to her will. I don't want to single her out too much, because the cast (including Ms. Waddell) is truly effective as an ensemble. But, Ms. VanWormer is giving a master class here, and Speech & Debate is worth seeing for her performance alone.

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