Colorado Shakespeare Festival actors will perform a 17th century play in more than 25 schools from Fort Collins to Trinidad this fall to set the stage for modern-day discussions about school bullying as part of a collaboration between the festival and the University of Colorado Boulder's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.
From Sept. 20 through Oct. 21, the three-person theater troupe will perform a 50-minute abridged version of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" followed by a post-show talk with the actors and classroom workshops centered on bullying prevention. Participating elementary, middle and high schools will receive a study guide about the play's contemporary relevance and proven anti-bullying interventions and information from the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.
"Live theater is a powerful way to get kids and teens thinking about human behavior," said Amanda Giguere, literary manager for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. "Shakespeare was a master of humanity, and he understood how people behaved. The characters in Shakespeare are very similar to people we know today."
In "Twelfth Night," a character named Malvolio treats his fellow servants poorly so several characters decide to play a trick on him. They forge a letter in the heroine's handwriting suggesting she is in love with Malvolio. As a result, Malvolio begins to behave in a crazed manner and becomes the laughingstock of the household. When he has hit bottom, the other characters decide to end the cruel joke. Malvolio's final line of the play is: "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you."
Following each performance, "Twelfth Night" actors will lead discussions about bullying, power and the cycle of violence.
"The Malvolio story line, along with the letter the characters plant for him to find, gives us great ways to talk about contemporary issues like cyberbullying," Giguere said. "Kids and teens will relate to this story because they've probably witnessed something similar in school."
According to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, nearly 15 percent of students in grades 9-12 are involved in a physical fight on school property nationwide and, like Malvolio, many attackers feel bullied, persecuted or injured prior to their attacks.
"Making children and teachers aware is the first step in preventing bullying and this play is an exciting, innovative way to accomplish this," said Delbert Elliott, distinguished professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. "The workshop provides practical, evidence-based resources for addressing this serious problem."
School bullying is often dismissed as a normal part of growing up, but bullying can result in detrimental long-term effects for victims and bullies, Elliott said. Experts in the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence recommend four basic principles for bullying prevention:
- Foster awareness of bullying and the positive involvement of adults
- Set and stick to firm limits as to what behavior is unacceptable
- Consistently apply nonhostile, nonphysical negative consequences for rule violation and unacceptable behavior
- Encourage adults to act as authorities and positive role models in students' academic learning and social relationships in school
The project is funded in part by a CU-Boulder Outreach Award and the Arts and Sciences Community Involvement Fund. The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence is part of the CU-Boulder Institute of Behavioral Science.