In the past 15 years, more than one third of all homicides in Natrona County were domestic-violence related.

With that in mind, victims advocates on Thursday tried to confront the problem where it often begins: Adolescence.

Two Casper high schools hosted performances of The Yellow Dress, a one-woman play designed to teach teenagers about abusive relationships. In the production, actress Amie Brehm played a high school student whose relationship with her boyfriend started well, but deteriorated to verbal and physical abuse.

"I think people are surprised how young it starts," said Lorrie Wnuk of the Natrona County Sheriff's Office Victim Response Unit, the organization that brought the play to Casper.

Perpetrators of domestic violence often begin abusing others when they are teenagers, which makes educating young people with the play even more beneficial, she explained.

"I think it is a good prevention measure as well as something for now," she said.

Kelly Walsh and Roosevelt high schools held performances of The Yellow Dress on Thursday. Today, the play will be shown to students at Centennial Junior High and Midwest schools.

The Yellow Dress is produced and directed by Deana's Educational Theatre, a Massachusetts nonprofit organization that works to prevent dating violence and promote healthy relationships. The group presents the play and other programs to schools across the country.

The play tells the story of a teenage girl named Anna, whose boyfriend, Rick, is initially caring and sweet, but turns controlling and abusive as their relationship progresses. At first the abuse is verbal, as the boyfriend berates Anna and controls various parts of her life. Later on, he becomes violent.

"What happens with abusive relationships is they escalate," Brehm told the students during a question-and-answer session that followed her performance at Kelly Walsh.

"Fear is definitely a huge factor that keeps people in abusive relationships," she added.

Abusive relationships may be more common than many people expect. One in three high school students will be involved in an abusive relationship, Brehm said.

After the assembly, 18-year-old Kelly Walsh senior Michael Carothers said he knows of people involved in abusive relationships, but not from among his own peers. People might not always take it seriously at first, he added.

"It's not until something really serious happens before people take it seriously," he said.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.