SOUTH OTSELIC – Members of the audience may be surprised by this year’s Otselic Valley Central School District fall production of “The Bully Plays,” according to director Michael Foor-Pessin. From the ground up, the selection of short comedies and tragedies is unique in its portrayal of bullies, bullying and the victims involved.
Compiled and edited by Linda Habjan, and produced by special agreement with Woodstock, Illinois-based Dramatic Publishing Company, “The Bully Plays” consists of 24, 10-minute segments that touch on issues such as inappropriate text messaging and online photography, bullying, suicide and others facing today’s youth, said Foor-Pessin.
“This is a different direction, a totally new development, and I want the audience to have a very different experience,” added the director. “I want them to leave here thinking about bullying ... about what we’re going to do about it.”
The Otselic Valley group – comprised of one senior, one junior, one sophomore, five eighth graders and one seventh grader – will present eight of the 24 segments included in “The Bully Plays.”
Said Foor-Pessin, “In bullying, kids play different roles, both victims and victimizers ... I want each kid to get the opportunity to act, to shoulder the burden of the message.”
All ten students, added the director, remain on the stage throughout the production, which features very little in the way of props. Instead, said Foor-Pessin, the focus is on the actors and actresses themselves. In fact, three segments of the play feature solo performances by senior Alan Lewis, junior Kaity Davis and sophomore Amanda Korb.
Using comedy to address something as serious as bullying is an “interesting concept,” and the play itself is written in a clever and intelligent way, he added.
“It’s written from the vantage point of the teenagers and it captures the language and thoughts of those subjected to bullying,” said the director. “But it’s serious, as well. It goes from comedy to dead serious ... this will surprise people.”
Bullying in modern times is more than a rite of passage, according to Foor-Pessin, and is much more damaging than many people may know or understand.
Lewis called the show’s message an important one and said it’s “different than anything he’s ever done” on stage. The other students concurred, and student and actress Crystal Hayner said she believes the audience is going to enjoy itself.
“Everyone is going to love it ... we want people to think about bullying, being in that situation and seeing that situation,” she added. “People need to stand up and speak out ... to stop it.”
According to Korb, no one enjoys being bullied, and yet she – and the other students – admitted to being the bully from time to time.
“When you realize you’re the bully yourself ... it really puts things in perspective,” she added.
The Otselic Valley Central School District will present “The Bully Plays” at 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday from the Otselic Valley Junior-Senior High School auditorium, 125 County Road 13, South Otselic. Admission into the show is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $3 for students.