October is more than just falling leaves and pumpkin spice lattes; it’s National Bullying Prevention Month. This month, we unite as a community to increase awareness, provide support, and empower those impacted by bullying.
Here at Broadway Licensing Global, we curated a list of titles that speak about bullying. Join us in promoting a culture of respect, empathy, and inclusivity, and explore our recommendations for titles that tackle the tough subject of bullying.
The Story: We asked nine talented playwrights to write a 10-minute play based on his or her unique take on bullying. The result is this collection. Designed to be flexible, the plays can be performed in any combination. From a cyberbullying attack that puts a friendship to the test (Dolphin) to a group of former bullies that meets regularly to discuss their recovery (Bullies Anonymous), to a grown man who must confront his former bully at their 20th reunion (Reunited and It Feels So Good), the plays range from the tragic to the comedic, but they all work to reveal a new perspective on a common problem.
The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project
The Story: In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
The Story: Being a teenager is hard, and nobody wants to talk about it. Confronting the daily challenges of growing up, this series of monologues and scenes offers a look at a multitude of issues — including dealing with parents who just don’t get it, rumors, bullying, and suicide. By turns funny and tragic, the gritty details of adolescence surface — exposing the things teenagers can’t, won’t, and don’t want to talk about.
Abigail/1702 by
The Story: In this tale of New England witchery, it is ten years after the harrowing and tragic events of the Salem witch trials. Abigail Williams—the lead accuser who sent twenty people to their doom as a young girl—now lives under an assumed name on the outskirts of Boston, quietly striving to atone for her sins. When a handsome stranger arrives claiming to be a sailor in need, Abigail takes him in, and long-dormant passions awaken within her. Love starts to grow between the two—an unlikely flower cracking through salty earth. But their contentment is short-lived, for someone else is coming for Abigail, someone who has been looking for her since she danced in the weird woods of Salem. The Devil is demanding Abigail’s soul, and a debt will be paid—but first, Abigail must make peace with the woman she most wronged…
The Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
The Story: Sheridan Whiteside, having dined at the home of the Stanleys, slips on their doorstep, breaking his hip. A tumultuous six weeks of confinement follow. The Stanley living room is monopolized by the irascible invalid; ex-convicts are invited to meals; and transatlantic calls bring a $784 phone bill. The arrival of strange gifts from his friends further destroys domestic tranquility. It would take a stoical housewife to harbor penguins in her library, an octopus in her cellar, and 10,000 cockroaches in her kitchen. When Maggie, his secretary, falls in love with the reporter, Bert Jefferson, Whiteside summons a glamorous actress, Lorraine, to win the affections of the young man. Knowing the girl’s charms, Maggie enlists the aid of a clever impersonator who, affecting the voice of Lord Bottomley, whom the actress hopes to marry, asks her by phone to return to him and be married. The ruse almost works, but Whiteside, becoming suspicious, finds that no calls have come through from London. In revenge, Lorraine suggests a three-week rewrite on a play of Bert’s in which she feigns great interest. Lake Placid is to furnish the quiet for his inspiration, and she is to be his collaborator. The unexpected arrival of a mummy case, just as the relenting Whiteside is frantically seeking to get rid of Lorraine, furnishes a malicious idea. Tricking her into stepping into the case, he shuts the lid and blackmails his host into having the case carried to the airport, preparatory to a round-the-world cruise. Whiteside departs from the Stanley’s home triumphantly, but a second later a crash is heard—he has again slipped and fallen!
