blue ribbons against bullies

Today, I had no Bananas.
This was the second game rained out this season.
That was okay by me, though.
I had read earlier today about this theatrical project between two of the local high schools. Really cool, right? But it was scheduled at the same time as the ball game.
i thank You, God, for allowing me to partake of the play!
Such an excellent birthday:58 event!
Let me tell you about it.
The two students who had conceived of the project knew each other through the Savannah Children's Theatre. One student, Kealan, attends Savannah Arts Academy and the other student, Chloe, attends Islands High School. The play they selected was written about a year of so ago. Rather than have acts, "The Bullying Collection" consists of ten short mini-plays written by ten playwrights about various aspects of bullying.
Ten short plays? Ten different stories?
Sounds right up my alley, does it not?
(smile)
And so it was!
Even better: it tackled several areas that people don't generally consider when the subject of bullies arises. For instance, consider the wimpy smart kids as bullies. I'm well-versed with that concept of "NeRds" turning the tables on the "popular kids". After all, I've been an avid fan of "The Big Bang Theory" and its gang of physicists ever since the series began in 2007. But what about you?
Some of the ten-minute plays gave a look at more than one type of bullying. F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. (Foremost Anti-Bullying Unit Looking Out for Undermined Students), by Jonathan Rand, went after practitioners of name-calling, malicious cyber acts, and rumormongers. Very funny, with its close-ups of wrongdoers! Nerdbullies and Other Strange Creatures, by Don Zolidis, also used humor in its approach toward three classes of bullies: serious role-playing gamers, politicians, and competitive parents. Nicely done!
Gray Area, by Ian McWethy, also went after the parents who are bad role models for their kids. I imagine these folks are like Sunday Christians: fine out in public and face-to-face, but fiercely biased on social media and in their own homes.
For the most part,I try to stay out of their way. However, sometimes I do step in and set them straight. (As a scientist, I feel it is my obligation to right such wrongs and combat ignorance.) Dolphin (by Jonathan Dorf) and Say Nothing (by C. R. Wright) advise that same course of action. They also ask that remember that the result of malicious words said and harmful actions taken cannot be undone. Just as a broken ceramic figurine can be mended, the break is always evident.
A very serious tone was throughout I Was There, by Sam Guzman. The actors were all in silhouette against a red background. Each player told their part of the tale of death and gun violence at their school. It truly was quite harrowing.
Frosh in the Pit (by Alan Haehnel) had a quite serious tone, too. In less than eight minutes, a senior bully had physically assaulted a freshman for daring to sit in a space the senior regarded as reserved for upperclassmen. Other seniors had not stopped the situation from escalating into physical violence.
All in less than eight minutes.
The Uprising, by Aaliyah Williams, took a more comedic approach. This time, it was a case of nerds versus jocks. But the jocks didn't get rattled! They blew off the harassment attempts until the nerds finally wised up and stopped trying to be bullies. That was a different approach!
Then there was the case of the 20-year high school reunion. A victim and his wife run into his tormenter and his wife in Reunited and It Feels So Good, by Kendra Martin. The bully is now the father of a child who is small for his age... and a target of bullies.
Funny how life works out sometimes.
One of the funniest pieces was Bullies Anonymous (by E. M. Bell), the first play in "The Bullying Collection". Four bullies are seeking redemption, under the guidance of a stressed counselor. Then, in walks a kid looking for the math club meeting... and the gloves come off! Sanity and peace eventually are restored... thanks to the math nerd.
(smile)
Cedric was there, too, so we sat together.
He's been helping the actors learn to project their voices.
How very nice to be able to share the time with him!
What a wonderful birthday:58 to have ten play "shorts" and good company, too!
i thank You, God, for rainy days and flexible plans!