BRUNSWICK — October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and The Theater Project Young People’s Theater, 14 School St., takes to the stage this weekend with “The Bully Plays,” a collection of short plays that are, according to a news release, “heartfelt, imaginative, powerful, uplifting and sometimes even funny.”
“The Bully Plays” were commissioned in response to the growing epidemic of bullying and its all-too-often tragic results. Directed by Karin Baard, herself a Theater Project alum, seven junior-high students take on some challenging, inspiring and enlightening material.
Among the short pieces, a girl stands up to her best friend, the bully; a bunch of clowns are intimidated by their ringmaster; a boy confronts a beast in ancient Greece, who provides him with a different perspective on who’s the beast; and a birthday party is the time a girl realizes who she really is, and what she believes in.
“We’re really proud of the work our actors are doing,” said Executive Director Wendy Poole. “It’s such an important topic, and we’re working hard to confront the issue of bullying in a constructive and creative way. We’ll be touring ‘The Bully Plays’ at a few local schools so that even more kids and adults can see the show.”
In addition to the staged and touring production of “The Bully Plays,” as a part of National Bullying Prevention Month The Theater Project is set to begin an outreach workshop program at Georgetown Central School. Made possible by a component fund from the Maine Community Foundation, Theater Project Artistic Director Al Miller will be working closely with a professional writer and a licensed therapist to help students create and perform their own “bully plays.”
“The Bully Plays” is onstage at The Theater Project this weekend. Performance times are today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. All tickets are pay-what-you-want, with a suggested price of $6.
Tickets and more information is available at www.theaterproject.com or by calling the box office at 729-8584.
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