Laughter and Late Adolescence in Beck Center’s ‘Speech and Debate’

Ah, late adolescence–that weird and wonderful time between your late teens and early twenties spent walking the blurry boundary between childhood and adulthood. It’s full of promise; the future you’ve always dreamed of is just ahead of you, daring to be seized. It’s full of confusion; the world expects you to act like an adult, but still treats you like a child.

The shedding of adolescence and the donning of responsibilities and expectations of adulthood is anything but simple. These complexities are entertainingly, humorously captured in playwright Stephen Karam’s “Speech and Debate,” now on stage at Beck Center for the Arts.

The show begins with Solomon, an angsty high schooler and budding journalist, arguing with his teacher. Solomon wants to publish a story about the hypocrisy of politicians, specifically male, Republican politicians, who have gay affairs. When his story is declined by the paper’s faculty advisor–along with his other controversial pitches, like a piece on abortion–Solomon becomes determined to find a way to bypass his school’s censorship.

Solomon is tuning into a video podcast by fellow student and aspiring actress Diwata when a new, scandalous story emerges. Diwata, who feels that she has been continuously, unjustly miscast in the school’s productions, shares that her drama teacher is rumored to have explicit relationships with students, and Howie, a new student, can confirm the claims. Solomon, Diwata and Howie band together to unmask their predatory teacher, using their newly founded speech and debate team to expose the truth.

Premiering Off-Broadway in 2007, Karam’s “Speech and Debate” is a rich dark comedy brimming with conflict. Seasoned director Don Carrier brings this nearly twenty year old play to life in Beck’s Studio Theater, successfully executing the show’s wry humor and showcasing its lasting relevancy.

“Speech and Debate” is not a technicolor tromp through high school; there are serious topics being discussed, many of them sexual in nature. There is no sugarcoating. Instead, Karam presents teen sexual situations, online relationships and sexual identity with directness. This unreservedness gives the show a sense of realism and helps demonstrate a major point made within the script: the importance of having candid conversations with young adults, even when they may be uncomfortable.

As Carrier explains so well in his director’s note, the characters at the forefront of the show “would not be described as ‘three lovable youngsters’…they are challenging and complex and in turmoil.” It’s true that Solomon, Diwata and Howie are not conventionally appealing, but the actors who bring them to life certainly are.

Howie is the first character to whom we are introduced. Actor Seth Crawford types away at a laptop, the light from the screen casting brightly upon his face. The set is an abstract collage of academically-inspired walls accented with blue stripes, a couple of which act as the backdrop for clever projections (scenic, lighting and projection designer Cheri Prough DeVol). Projected behind Howie is a live chat of his instant messages with a stranger. Just from this first scene in the dark, Crawford begins to win audiences over. Howie, who is openly gay and proud, is still somewhat withdrawn and timid. Crawford nails Howie’s complexities, infusing authenticity into the character.

Donning a Lacoste polo is Jonathan Koppelman as the clean-cut, ambitious and woefully lonely Solomon. It’s evident from the first interactions with his teacher, played by a rigid Laura Rauh, that Solomon is tightly wound. Koppelman constantly teeters on the brink of explosion, portraying Solomon with the powder-keg temper of someone that’s only one small spark away from erupting. The moments where he does succumb to his temper are thunderous–sometimes the downright fervor of which threatens to feel overdone. Overall, Koppelman does a fine job of portraying a very conflicted, passionate teen in need of a friend.

A wonderful Mary Coulter plays Diwata. Diwata is unapologetically herself, something that is immediately evident thanks to her fun, eccentric combinations of clothing (costume designer Susanne Houstle). As the self-appointed captain of the three-person speech and debate team, Diwata speaks her mind and is brazenly confident in her…unconventional…dancing and singing abilities. She treats the world as her stage, traipsing about to pop music (sound designer Angie Hayes) with unbridled passion, and Coulter ensures that she is a joy to watch.

Crawford, Koppelman and Coulter have an easy camaraderie that translates into their characters’ authentic teenage interactions. Their banter is genial one moment and explosive the next, eliciting laughs and giving pause. Most delightful are their eccentric Speech and Debate performances, one of which features a time-traveling Mary Warren and a teenage, sexually confused Abraham Lincoln. These may not be conventional youngsters on paper, but they are a lot of fun.

Late adolescence can be many things: confusing, exciting, scary, liberating–or in the case of Beck Center’s “Speech and Debate”–darkly comedic and wildly entertaining.

“Speech and Debate” runs through June 28, 2026, at Beck Center for the Arts. 17801 Detroit Ave, Lakewood. Tickets can be purchased by calling (216) 521-2540 or by visiting beckcenter.org, $18-46.