“[‘Dirt’] is kind of a therapy for me,” John Morello said. “When you tell your own story, you know, it helps you kind of organize it in your own head and gives you some objectivity on your life and kind of helps you make sense of your life when you know your own story.”

After his one-man show that kicked off the school year with drug raunch and death humor that gradually silenced its audience and brought them to tears, John Morello, the writer and star of “Dirt,” stated how important storytelling is for him and how he thinks it can help others.

He closed his show with telling us about the deaths of his two brothers, one who was hit by a drunk driver and one who overdosed on heroin. “I’m not telling you this because I want you to feel bad for the guy who lost two brothers. I’m telling you this because it happened to me, and hopefully you’ll realize that if it happened to me, it can happen to anyone.”

“I love how he like connected to our high school lives,” sophomore Kovid Mishra said, “like for example, about drugs – that’s a huge issue in high school.”

Drugs are a frequent topic at Laguna. From the assembly last year discussing prescription drug addiction, to the reminders by the faculty to not bring substances on class trips, to the possibility in the near future of marijuana legalization in California if Prop 64 passes, the play’s initial hook and centerpiece definitely hit home for many students.

“[The show will] definitely make me think about the actions I take,” junior Laird Fowler said, “and like, I never wanna hurt my family, or people that are close to me.”

In addition to under-the-counter drugs, Morello also brought up the widespread-institutionalized drugging of students with substances like Ritalin, which can also be (ab)used recreationally by many of those to whom its prescribed.

“I feel like [the line between medical and recreational drug use] gets blurred,” junior Mia Waters said, “and some people will fake being sick just to get the drugs; for example, Xanax or Adderall, but they don’t actually need it.”

However, the play covered more ground than just drugs, touching on bullying (a term which a character in the show says has become very vague), suicide (something NOT talked about at Laguna very much) and aging (the wise old man, the character who closes the show and ties it together through a clear and connected philosophy on living).

A character in the show named Melissa feels like an invisible ghost. She is lonely and depressed, and one day while people at school are being mean to her, it seems she decides to kill herself before another student stands up for her.

About seven percent of high school students are reported to have attempted suicide according to the CDC; the actual percentage might be higher due to the stigma associated with attempting to kill one’s self.

Suicide is responsible for 11 percent of youth deaths, making suicide youth death’s third leading cause after accidents and homicide.

“The stereotype is that people commit suicide because of other people,” junior Camila Lemere said, “so then, when someone commits suicide, it’s almost like a lot of blame is put on the people who were surrounding them, so I feel like people maybe don’t want to acknowledge that kind of guilt, and they don’t want to think about it that much. They don’t want to admit they did something wrong, or maybe in their life right now, they’re doing something wrong.”

Morello intended the show to be very authentic, stating that he wants to live a life and work in a profession in which he can be organic. The consensus was that he succeeded.

“I thought the guy wasn’t really portraying any stereotypes. I mean there were some stereotypes but nothing overboard, and I feel like he knew what he was talking about,” junior Aidan O’Donnell said.

Morello’s storytelling hit a nerve on campus that day. His use of it as a means of personal expression is a reminder of how powerful art can be for the creator and audience.

“[Stories are] definitely a major influence on my life,” O’Donnell added. “I’d have to say putting yourself in another’s world, there’s something really special about that.”

“Dirt” inspired the audience to strive to be conscientious and to understand that other real humans reap the consequences of their own actions.

“Hopefully I’ll feel like the old guy one of these days,” Fowler said.