Using Theatre to Prevent Bullying
Part 2
by Madeline Stephenson
Project Editor
Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.
[In case you missed it, you can read part 1 of this article here.]
The stage has historically been a forum for exploring current social issues, and the recent media attention on bullying highlights the perfect place for theatre to make an impact. Through the power of live stage performances, your drama students can help their peers, and especially younger children, learn anti-bullying tactics, start meaningful discussions and develop greater empathy, which can be used as a powerful weapon to combat bullying.
Many middle and high schools perform plays that address bullying for local elementary students and sometimes even for students at their own school. Using theatrical performances in this manner can benefit both the viewing schools’ anti-bullying curricula and your own drama program. Pioneer Drama offers a wide variety of plays about bullying. I’ve listed some of our most popular ones below.
If you and your cast decide to address bullying through performance for elementary schools in your area, be sure to contact the schools as far in advance as you can so they have a chance to build anti-bullying lessons into their curriculum. Empower your cast to feel as if they are teachers and role models for these younger students, not only by performing, but also by creating and distributing a series of questions that classroom teachers can pose to their younger students both before and after the performance. I’m sure your cast members will be inspired to work harder and take the subject even more seriously when they know they will be impacting young minds. (If you’re running short on time, there are also a number of websites that offer free handouts and curricula appropriate for elementary schools.)
On the day of the performance, plan extra time for your cast to talk to their audience about bullying. This might take place before the performance or you might find it more effective to have your cast stay in character for a short question-and-answer session afterwards. Starting a discussion to help younger students better understand the characters’ actions, reactions and motivations can help teach empathy. And by talking about what the characters could have done differently you’ll be easily and effectively teach anti-bullying tactics. Your cast might even want to bring in a more personal element by turning the tables on the audience and asking them what they would have done in the situations presented.
Ideally, your cast can help elementary teachers continue the lessons and bring theatre into their classrooms by developing a list of role playing exercises they can use in the days and weeks after your performance. Empathy is an important life skill that can be learned at even a very young age, and role playing is an extremely effective tool for developing this quality in younger students.
Besides performing for elementary schools, your cast may feel compelled to address bullying within their own school. In this case, it may not be realistic to have your cast members take part in the teaching process. Often, a school counselor or social worker will be available to lead a “talk back” session after an emotionally charged performance and will provide additional anti-bullying curriculum material. No matter what, it is important to offer adequate resources when addressing such a sensitive and important social topic.
For further reading
One of the most amazing and effective performance techniques I’ve come across is called playback theatre. This performance method, which involves acting out true-life stories of the children in the audience, gives victims a voice and develops empathy among youth in a very personal and meaningful way. While playback theatre requires a highly trained troupe of actors, I encourage you to read more about this process to understand just how deep of an impact drama can have.
Explore some of Pioneer Drama's anti-bullying resources here.
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