Hearing the emotional stories, the audience in Northwestern High School's auditorium could almost forget that they were not true. The fictional tales, woven into a drama produced by The Colours Performing Arts Program, were meant to spotlight the silent issue of domestic violence.

"We have to come up with innovative ways to let people know about domestic violence," said Mandrell Birks, the program's partner at The Family Crisis Center. "Nobody wants to talk about it."

Colours is a community performing arts program for Prince George's County students based out of Northwestern High School. Student performers engage in music and performing arts while gaining exposure to important social issues.

While Colours may be known for the musicals they perform throughout the year, each fall Colours selects a social issue as the topic of their dramatic plays.

This spring, The Family Crisis Center asked the traveling performing arts troupe to focus on domestic violence.

One of the plays, titled "Who and What We Are," previewed for school and community leaders on Wednesday night.

Without finished costumes and with minimal props to create the classroom scene, Prince George's County high school students Lauren Conway, 14, Kayla Hocker, 14, Nakea Tyson, 14, and Raythia Smith, 15,performed the roles of teenagers affected by domestic violence. "Mrs. Stillings," the emotionally detached and uninspired teacher, is played by the sixth cast member, 16-year-old Chantele Rountree.

A second drama, called "Running to Stand Still," performed by Colours veteran Jessica Dukes, now a graduate student in theater at Catholic University, also previewed Wednesday. The audience listened in as Dukes' character discussed her father's abusive behavior with an undisclosed imaginary person.

"The object of the original production is to get young adults to recognize negative behaviors before they escalate," Birks said. "Too many in Prince George's County witness or experience violence in the home and then imitate these behaviors. Education will ensure they won't end up in the justice system."

Colours director Jason Cook spearheaded the performing arts program 12 years ago while teaching English at Charles Carroll Middle School. He said he is willing to travel anywhere with his young actors to spread their message.

"We don't need a theater, just some space," Cook said. "And money," he added.

The troupe has traveled outside the metropolitan area to Pennsylvania and Florida, depending on their patrons to pay their expenses.

Performances are already scheduled for the end of October at Northwestern High School. Dates and times can be found at www.colours.org.

Cook hopes their efforts will be instrumental in opening avenues for young people to seek help. He is currently working with the county executive's office to get crisis hotline numbers printed on the back of student ID cards.

"These plays are not designed to be tear-jerkers," Cook said, who writes and directs all of the productions. "We don't want to scare people [who need help] from calling for it."

E-mail Jill Murphy at jimurphy@gazette.net.