GAWLER and Districts College drama students have banded together to create three original plays about bullying, inspiring their classmates to be more open about their own troubles.
Year nine, 10 and 11 student’s workshopped with their drama teacher, Julie Peters, to create the performances, often drawing on their own personal experiences to give an honest depiction of bullying at school.
The year nine students produced ‘It Stops Now’ a story of the way bullying changes from kindergarten through to high school, while the year 10s looked at body shaming in their play ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ and year 11s looked at the impacts of social media in their production ‘Think Before You Click’.
Mrs Peters said she wanted to help the school take notice of bullying when she devised the plays.
“The bullying that takes place in the workplace was of real concern to me, whether at school or anywhere.
“I thought it would be lovely to get three year levels to present their perspectives of how bullying and social media work together.
“It’s not just about showcasing the bullying that takes place, it’s also about encouraging people to see a counsellor, a principal or a teacher.”
The plays were performed to students during the day across last week and to the public during the night.
Student Tye Vaughan said students can sometimes find it uncomfortable to talk about bullying, but the plays helped start a conversation about the topic.
“The audience laugh along with all the funny parts, they don’t show it but they do understand the more serious parts,” he said.
“It helps them feel a connection with the more serious parts we hope they take something away from.”
Another student, April Aworth, said conversations about schoolyard bullying need to be driven by kids, not by adults. \
“They (other students) said hearing it from other students their age is much better, it affects them more and they find it a lot easier to empathise with it,” she said.
“Actually seeing it live in front of them, rather than watching a video in class, helps them hear the message.”