Preview "Reach Out, Speak Up" Tonight at the Griffin School

Standing: Tommie as "The Rocket," Stephanie as "Melissa," and Adrian as "Dude"

Seated: Kristal plays "Claire"

"Reach Out, Speak Up" is an original theatre piece that our ensemble of 20 teens and 3 adult facilitators have created over the course of the Fall semester. This play aims to address issues of bullying and the isolation many teens face in high school. We hope to engage our audiences in dialogue about these issues, so please come see our work-in-development and join us in our creative process.

"Reach Out, Speak Up" is appropriate for middle school aged audiences and up.

Where: Griffin School 710 e 41st street, across from the Hancock Center

When: Thursday, December 9th - Performance will begin at 8pm.

From left to right: Adalai as "Melissa," Adrian as "Dude" and Nicole as "Claire"

Please see our blurb below from more info about our story!

Being the new kid in high school is tough. Finding yourself the victim of bullying in school is worse. When Claire, a new student, becomes the target of a cyberbullying campaign, she realizes she does not know where to turn. Observe the story from both sides in our new Changing Lives performance.

How can the new girl find a way to fight back against cyberbullying? How can bystanders, both in school and online, take action? What can our teachers and families do to support their kids and students? What pushes someone to become the bully?

Our play is still a work in progress but we're very proud of our group's hard work. Join us at the Griffin School to engage in the dialogue and celebrate a successful fall semester with our super-talented ensemble.

Standing Up to Cyberbullying!

In our latest play, a new girl comes to school to get a new start and finds herself the victim of a cyberbullying campaign. This behavior has become a huge problem among young people in the last few years. Cyberbullying is when teens use the Internet, cell phones or other devices to send or post messages or images that are intended to hurt or embarrass another person.

Cyberbullying behaviors can look different. Pretending to be someone you're not to trick others, spreading lies or rumors about the victim, tricking people to reveal personal information, sending (or forwarding) mean text messages or posting pictures of someone without their consent can all be forms of cyberbullying.

If you or someone you know is being harassed via text messages or the Internet, there are steps that can be taken to end it. You can start by blocking all communication with the bully, deleting their messages without reading them and reporting the problem to an adult. You should also talk to your friends about what is happening and give them chances to support you.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, 81% of teens surveyed said they thought most people do it because they think it's funny. Because we can't easily interpret the tone of a text message, what one person calls a joke can end up being dangerously hurtful.

Remember -- encouraging your friends to pass along anything that could hurt someone IS Cyberbullying. Stand up to your friends and tell them to stop it. Let them know that no one deserved to be Cyberbullied!