Who better to talk about the harms of bullying than a tragically misunderstood witch? Those jeers about warts and green skin; insinuations about evil spells… Fairy tale creatures can be so cruel. Which is why Elphaba, the star witch from the hit Broadway musical Wicked — which happens to be playing at the Hippodrome right now — is being brought in to teach students at Baltimore’s Booker T. Washington Middle School for the Arts about the negative consequences of bullying on Thursday.
There’s been a lot of talk of bullying and how to prevent it in recent years, and this program — a partnership between Wicked and the National School Climate Center — is one of the results. Cast members from the Tony award winning show use interactive theatre games and scenes from Wicked to open up a discussion about acceptance and tolerance.
One thing the program focuses on is the idea of Upstanders, or people who, well, stand up for others when they see bullying-type actions going on and “become part of the solution to end harmful harassment, teasing, and violence in our nation’s schools.” So put on the Wicked soundtrack, stand up to bullying, and have a happy Bully Prevention Awareness Month!
