What does it mean to be in high school in 2026? There’s no single way to describe it. There are many different student cliques in high school, all very unique from one another. With so many vastly different personalities and communities among teens, how can they all be portrayed? “Shelter” attempts to do just that.
“Shelter” was a play performed at Ida B. Wells High School on Feb. 13 through 21.
The story follows several high school students and their daily lives in a school where a great tragedy once took place. All of these students have their own problems and struggles, and they try to find coping mechanisms and solutions with Artificial Intelligence.
AI can be useful, but it can also be dangerous. In “Shelter,” the AI is depicted by a chorus that sounds uncannily human, but robotic enough to be unsettling. The chorus says everything in a firm voice.
The majority of the main cast use AI in the play to help them with a question or struggle. Whenever this happens, the room is always dark, and the atmosphere is quiet except for the AI chorus.
Throughout the play, the characters struggle with interpersonal conflicts and are unable to understand one another. Their conflicts contrast with the AI chorus, showing that they have real feelings and aren’t perfect. They have inappropriate humor at times and try to bottle up their feelings. It shows that humans are not simple robots like the AI. The characters in the play have feelings, and those feelings are constantly conveyed throughout. You see them struggle with emotions, and you see them burst with anger, or burst with sadness.
A big theme of “Shelter” is the consequences of bottling or not expressing one’s feelings. A lot of these characters’ problems aren’t known by their peers. They seem more anxious, leaning more on AI to solve their problems. Due to this, it highlights the importance of talking to someone the moment you feel negatively impacted. Talking to someone is the best thing you can do.
“Shelter” shows that no teenager truly has a perfect life with no problems. Even if someone seems like they’re living the best life possible, there may always be something we don’t see.
