Walking the Line was written by Bruce Miller and was first produced in Virginia schools in the late 1980s and early 90s in association with the VA Pharmacists Association and the VA State Police. At that time, the play was created as a prevention and early intervention program to address the crack cocaine epidemic. It successfully toured over a five-year period, almost exclusively to high schools, reaching nearly every school district in the Commonwealth. 

ATLAS Partnership is now reworking Walking the Line to address Virginia’s current opioid crisis among middle and and high school students. It is one of the few, if not the only statewide program to function, primarily, in the prevention arena, and has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

This project is in its earliest stages. We are now seeking support and participation from:

• First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin

• Virginia Pharmacists Association

• Virginia State Police

• Virginia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

• Virginia Dept. of Education

• Virginia Dept. of Social Services

• Virginia PTA

• VCU Health

• George Mason Arts Research Center (MasonARC, assessment and evaluation)

Walking the Line is among six nationally acclaimed Community Health and Wellness programs created by Bruce Miller. The first of these lifesaving programs was Hugs and Kisses, which served as Virginia’s principal child sexual abuse prevention / early intervention program for 40 years. During its run, Hugs was seen by over 2 million Virginia students. Over 20,000 of those students, approximately 1% of the total statewide audience, disclosed their personal victimization, often for the first time, after seeing the play. All of those students immediately received the help they needed to restore their lives.