We’ve all heard the saying, laughter is the best medicine. As it turns out, not only is laughter the best medicine, it is also a fantastic fundraiser. Just ask Apex High School Sophomore, Jonathan Beyer. In April, Jonathan organized and participated in an improv comedy show, along with three other high schools in Wake County and two groups from Moonlight Stage Company, where he performs. But this wasn’t any ordinary comedy show, this show had a purpose and that purpose was anything but comical.
On February 14 of this year, the unthinkable happened at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The country was, once again, in shock after a gunman opened fire at the high school killing 17 and wounding 17 more. After hearing about the events that took place in Florida, Jonathan felt the way many did, helpless, angry and scared. But then he went to his normal improv class. He recalls thinking “There’s so much happiness here. There’s so much positivity here. There’s so much talent here. Can we use that to help what just happened?” The answer was a resounding yes!
For 16-year old Jonathan, acting and improv is not just a hobby, it is a way of life and a way of giving back. Starting at the ripe old age of 4, Jonathan knew he had a gift for what he called “play pretend.” “I would pretend to fall and get hurt to trick my babysitter. I realized I was really good at pretending to be hurt and that it was convincing.” Although probably not comical to the babysitter, Jonathan found he could make people laugh and enjoyed acting like a different person in a different world. In particular the world of improv has had a profound impact on Jonathan. “It is a safe place. Improv and comedy shows have always felt like family to me.” It was this warmth and compassion that led Jonathan to head up the Improv 4 Parkland event.
With the support of his family and friends, Jonathan teamed up with the improv coach from Moonlight Stage Company Jeris Donovan Livengood, along with students from Cary, Garner, and Enloe High Schools to bring awareness and healing through laughter. As you might imagine, the show was a huge success. Improv 4 Parkland sold out with standing room only and raised almost $2,000 for their cause. The evening was filled with laughter and fun with the knowledge that they were helping others at the same time.
Thanks to the generosity of Comedy Worx in Raleigh, the performance was able to donate 100% of the proceeds from the even to the victims and families of the shooting. “They were the best possible partner, and none of this would have happened without their tireless help,” Jonathan said. Not only was the space donated, but the employees who were working the night of the event were volunteers. “Instead of a tip jar at concessions, they put a donation jar so we could raise more money,” he said.
No stranger to community activism, Jonathan is a TA (teacher’s assistant) at Moonlight Stage Company and is captain of one of their teen improv groups called the Essentials. He is also on the youth board for the LGBT center of Raleigh, and he has no plans of stopping there. After school is out he plans on taking his skills behind the camera. “I will be directing a documentary on being a student in this current education system-growing up with lockdown drills, having school shootings be the norm that we’ve had to face, etc.” In addition, Jonathan is directing a short film that he wrote called “Seeing.” All of this while continuing his work in acting and comedy.
It is becoming more frequent to hear about students and teens taking an active role in the communities around them and around the world, but it can be difficult to know where to start. Jonathan’s advice, start local. “There are community organizers who have been doing this work for years and made it their life. Get involved with them.” Do your homework, find local groups that are doing the work that most interests you. If you can’t find the right group, start one of your own!
Teens are no longer satisfied with watching the world go by, they want to be a part of it. Jonathan has taken his passion and made it his purpose. He has taken his talent and is using it to help people he will likely never meet. Although not the role he is accustomed to accepting, he has become a role model for up and coming actors and performers and has given profound hope for our future generation.
