Bullying Stops Here

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, is helping students take a stand.

In an effort to help today’s K-5 students develop the resiliency and coping strategies needed to deal with bullying at school and avoid bullying others, TheatreWorks’ outreach program TheatreWorks for Schools will be touring Bay Area schools with OSKAR AND THE BIG BULLY BATTLE.

Oskar and his friends are back to teach students the skills for handling the epidemic of bullying that occurs in schools every day. OSKAR AND THE BIG BULLY BATTLE illustrates how a small schoolyard scuffle can escalate out of control as three elementary students become entangled in a tale about victims, bullies, and what it means to be an “UPstander” and “BYstander.”  

OSKAR AND THE BIG BULLY BATTLE will tour Bay Area schools now through December 7, 2012.  (To contact TheatreWorks about scheduling an assembly, schools may email learn@theatreworks.org or call 650-463-7154.)

 In response to growing concerns about the damaging and potentially fatal consequences of bullying in schools, OSKAR AND THE BIG BULLY BATTLE was commissioned by the Palo Alto Unified School District and TheatreWorks. 

Written by award-winning playwright Prince Gomolvilas, the show is designed to teach K-5 graders the tools needed to recognize the most common types of bullying (including cyber bullying) and learn the difference between being a “BYstander” and an “UPstander,” allowing kids to not only rebuff bullying, but strive to eliminate it from the schoolyard.

While the show deals with its subject in a humorous fashion, it offers serious solutions for dealing with bullying. 

"Our goal for Oskar is to instill some awareness in the K-5 grader, so that as they move into those difficult years in middle school they’ll be prepared,"  TheatreWorks Director of Education Mary Sutton said. "This show really gives kids a solid understanding of what bullying is, and how they might be unwittingly taking part."

After three tours with a male in the leading role, and with studies indicating that girls can be equally prone to bullying behaviors, TheatreWorks decided to focus the story on a female character. 

In this year’s production, the play opens with the introduction of Oskar’s sister, Olive, who is having a fine day until a friend’s honest mistake causes her to react harshly and display bully behavior. However, after seeing another student join in on the bullying, Olive finds herself in the role of a bystander, and decides that she needs to make a change. 

With audience participation, colorful set, and outrageous costume pieces, OSKAR AND THE BIG BULLY BATTLE teaches children to identify bullying and learn that there are ways to deal with and eliminate bullying at their school if they take on the role of an “UPstander” rather than a “BYstander” and reach out to parents, teachers, and friends for support. 

In 2010 and 2011, TheatreWorks Education and Outreach programs served 23,107 students, 1,900 adult learners, and 981 teachers from 82 schools in 7 counties.  Demand continues to increase, with 38 schools inviting TheatreWorks to visit for the first time this year. 

In addition to the OSKAR presentations, TheatreWorks for Schools has created a variety of programs for Bay Area elementary and high schools including the wildly popular Playing with Poetry, Playing with Science, the TELL Project (Theatre for English Language Learners), and the Young Playwright’s Initiative.  TheatreWorks for Schools’ most recent creation is KBAM!, Komic Book Adventure Musicals, an after-school program where students star in their own musical as super heroes of their own creation.  TheatreWorks also offers programs for teachers wishing to develop more dynamic classroom techniques, and partners with Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital to provide theatre classes for youth and siblings facing long-term illness. 

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast from across the country.  A home for artists developing new works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical now in its third year on Broadway and currently on its first U.S. tour, was first workshopped and received its world premiere.

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