Forward July 2014 | Page 24

Bully Busters busting bullies A group of Year 9 boys recently enjoyed a theatrical drama performance of Bully Busters 2, presented by Class Act Theatre, which focused on discouraging bullying within the School. The cast, Mia, Molly and Patrick, presented an updated version of a 20 year old play that reflects on students’ decision making processes in terms of their behaviour towards one another. Highlighting the various types and mediums of bullying, the cast re-enacted scenarios that depicted the negative energy created from insulting, name calling and bullying in general. The Year 9 students learned that discrimination is simply a judgement of differences, and that the core reason for discriminating behaviour is put down to a bully being afraid. Other topics were also explored, including homophobia, racism, sexism, peer pressure and classism, as well as internet bullying, physical behaviour, statements, gossiping and insults. The performance was a traditional method of educating students about the damage that physical and emotional bullying can cause and how extreme the consequences of bullying can be. The anti-bullying play has been tackling these issues in schools for many years. Mr Graham Lawson, the Director of Catalyst, hopes that the play has taught the boys the importance of apprec X][