The Self-Esteem’s the Thing

After years of talking and listening to teen-agers, actors Misha McK and Ron Mokwena believe they have a handle on what is messing up kids these days.

“We found out that one of the problems they had was very low self-esteem,” McK said.

Their solution is “Graffiti Blues,” a rap opera that opens tonight at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The pair wrote and are directing the production, which features 31 non-professional actors from the Los Angeles area.

“The arts are a powerful instrument to affect young people,” Mokwena said. “It’s only through the arts that you can connect with yourself.”

But the young aren’t just interested in connecting with themselves.

“Our goal is to educate people about what is going on with the young,” Mokwena said.

The play is “poetry in motion,” written in iambic pentameter, McK said. The choice was “sort of conscious, sort of just happened,” the actress said.

McK, 27, who has a bachelor’s degree in English, spent six months at Oxford University while working on her degree. Mokwena, 28, studied with McK at Syracuse University and holds a master’s degree in film and television.

About 200 teen-agers are involved in “Graffiti Blues” and Save Our Youth, the sponsoring organization founded by McK and Mokwena.

“They learn what it means to be in a production,” McK said. “They’re learning how to listen. That’s a tough one.”

There will be six performances in the auditorium, located at 300 E. Green St., starting at 7 p.m. tonight, and 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with two matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $35.