The teenagers come up to Michelle Pauls all the time, excited and ready to share.

"Mindblowing."

"Life-changing."

Pauls, the managing artistic director for B. Someday Productions at Walking Fish Theater in the Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, has witnessed first hand what can happen when teens feel empowered, and that feeling will be open to the public on Thursday. The Barrymore Award-winning "Of Mythic Proportions" was created from the personal stories of Mariana Bracetti Academy High School students who grew up in Kensington and how violence has become a part of their lives. There will be two free performances, at 4 and 6 p.m., culminating a semester's worth of work. A discussion with audience members and reception with light refreshments will follow.

"We give young people a chance to turn what was, on the surface, a terrible or destructive or violent happening and transform it into a piece of art where we can all look at it," says Pauls, who came to town five years ago with her husband and partner Stan Heleva, B. Someday's producing artistic director, and live on the top two floors of the Walking Fish with their daughter Astrid.

"We all get to see how similar we are and I think if we understood each other a little better then we wouldn't see teens making as many bad choices."

With violence in Kensington garnering a heavy load of headlines in recent months, B. Someday's work is particularly timely. The show won a Barrymore in October in the Education and Community Service category. While not all the students begin as capable actors, Pauls says it isn't long before a transformation is noticeable.

"I know the power of theater and I believe in it," she says.

If you miss this week's performance, fear not. Pauls and a fresh crop of Bracetti students will begin work next month on a May production, so make sure you follow their progress.

JOE PETRUCCI is managing editor of Flying Kite. Send feedback here.