Take the Stairs

Ages 13 years & over. Gritty, heartfelt and ultimately redemptive stories for young adults. At 64 Wilnut Street. A fifteen-storey brick building butted against a pocket of comfortable houses, some of which have pools and three-car garages. Two teenagers slouch outside the front door, the lock broken again. A shopping cart lies abandoned in the lobby. The halls hang heavily with the smell of roach spray and a rivalry of last night’s dinners. And behind each tightly locked apartment door lie the hidden stories and unspoken dreams of the people who live there. Against the backdrop of this inner-city building, thirteen teenagers labour to overcome the challenges in their lives. There is David, who tries to talk to his father’s ghost, and Jennifer, who flirts with men she does not want. Asim, who faces hatred directed against his Muslim family, and Allie, who spends the night on suicide watch over her depressed mother. These intimate stories reveal the troubled encounters and secret hopes of the teens who live in The Building as they struggle to turn obstacles into opportunities and make their way in the larger world.