Teenagers tend to get a bad rap these days. I hear it all the time: They’re addicted to their phones; they’re disconnected; they lack social skills; they are self-centered and unmotivated. I don’t buy that. Sure, with teenagers, sometimes you have to work a little harder. But inside their sometimes aloof exteriors, most teens are boiling pots of big ideas and big feelings. Give a kid an open-ended chance to be thoughtful or creative, give them the space to generate ideas and then listen to what they have to say, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the depth and insight they have to offer.

I can tell you with honesty that in my 25 plus years of working with teenagers, I have never met one who didn’t have something unique, thought-provoking or hilarious to share. In fact, in my experiences in working with teenagers, I have learned more, laughed harder and been more impressed and inspired than in any other work I’ve ever done. Teenagers are the absolute best. This week, I’m in my creative happy place, immersed in a vibrant, inventive bubble, working with 16 high school students with the SAF Young People’s Theater at the Sheridan Opera House. We are creating an original one-act play.

I am a drama teacher. I came about this line of work when I was 17-years-old, and my mom, who ran a professional theater company, had hired a director for the kids’ theater portion of her company who ended up canceling at the very last moment.

“You’ll teach the drama summer camp, Jen,” my mom informed me. “You know about theater. You’ll be great.”

So, as a high school rising senior, I found myself directing a production of Charlotte’s Web with 25 elementary-aged kids, jumping into the process with lots of trepidation but no other choice than to just try. How brilliant was my mother, by the way? She believed in me; she pushed me, I followed through. I’ve learned a lot from her style of baptism-by-fire parenting. The bottom line is: never underestimate a teenager,because when push comes to shove, they’re capable of so much more than you think they are. The Charlotte’s Web experience changed my life; I had found my calling. I got a theater degree from Bennington College and a MA in drama education from the University of Victoria. I spent the next 17 years running the SAF Young People’s Theater. Those were some of the happiest times of my professional life.

The one act play the teenagers and I are creating is called Camp Happy Sunshine. It’s the story of an old-fashioned summer camp that’s down on its luck, threatened by a fancier rival camp with an evil lady at the helm. I wrote this play (with lots of help and hilarious input from my husband Travis) while traveling around watching our son Hudson in mogul comps this winter. In all of the plays I’ve ever written for young actors, there are always a few common themes: happy endings, bizarre characters and decidedly weird humor. This play is no exception. There are dancing chipmunks. There are costumes made of pipe cleaners. There are non-sequitorial scenes that spontaneously explode into modern dance. It’s oddball and over the top and weird and wonderful, and the best part is, every single one of the teen actors in the cast has a say in it. I may have written the script, but putting it all together is a team effort, and everyone’s ideas are thrown into the mix.

One of the most important things I’ve learned as a playwright and director is that collaboration is the key. If you’re tempted to be precious or over-protective of your creative work, then your work will always suffer. And when I tell you that teenagers are the absolute best, this is what I’m talking about: When you give them the space to be, they are unabashed, unapologetic fountains of ideas. In rehearsal, if I throw out, “this scene feels like something is missing — what do you think we need here?” the teenagers will give it a moment’s thought and then bombard me with great ideas. When kids know that their opinions will be valued and when they trust that you will listen, they are freed up to share all of the wonder that their incredible minds hold. That’s the magic of working with them.

The cast I’m currently working with is fearless. They are not afraid to say yes to bold creative risks, to unconventional ideas, or wildly weird and silly humor. They are wonderfully brazen in their confidence and choice making, and the result is a performance that hums and zings with innovation. As a group, we are on fire, and we are having way too much fun. I’m just so grateful for this opportunity to work with them.

Camp Happy Sunshine will perform only once, and for free, at the Sheridan Opera House on Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. It’s a family-friendly show and appropriate for all ages. I hope that you’ll come and share in the joy with us.

Jen Julia is a mother, wife, sailor, surfer, playwright and wannabe ukulele player.