Theatre@First to Present THE BULLY PLAYS, 10/23-24

On October 23 and 24 at 7pm at the Somerville Theatre, Theatre@First presents a series of short plays about the experience of bullying. Proceeds will support the anti-bullying work of Teen Empowerment.

Inspired by her son's experiences, veteran Theatre@First actor Jeannè Callinan makes her directorial debut with the show Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia, describes as "funny, sad, powerful and important".

Commissioned in response to the epidemic of bullying, The Bully Plays examines the phenomenon in its many different forms, from the perspective of victims, bystanders, families, and the bullies themselves. Touching, imaginative, powerful, uplifting and funny, this selection of 10-minute plays challenges our assumptions about bullying. It is up to our communities to short-circuit these tragic patterns and the Bully Plays opens our eyes to how we can confront the issue in constructive and creative ways.

The Center for Teen Empowerment (www.teenempowerment.org) engages youth and adults as agents of positive individual, institutional, and social change. Teen Empowerment employs low-income urban youth to identify and address the most pressing issues in their communities. Each year, these youth conduct over 150 community-change initiatives that involve more than 6,000 youth, residents, civic leaders, and police. TE Somerville works locally to build a world in which youth--with adults in mutually respectful and supportive relationships-- inspire, lead, and empower their communities to achieve justice and peace.

Students, teachers and parents are especially encouraged to attend The Bully Plays, with discounts available for groups of six or more.

Theatre@First is Somerville's largest community theatre, bringing superlative and affordable theatre to our community since its founding in 2003. To support the development of this project, visit www.theatreatfirst.org to make a donation today!