‘EMBRACE’ Anti-Bullying Prevention production

BY AUDREY MCGHEE

ST. PETERSBURG — The EMBRACE Anti-Bullying Prevention stage production is a non-fiction drama performed by Pinellas County high school youth.  It will provide an understanding of the seriousness of bullying, the hurt and impact on youth, families and society/community.

The production, which will take place Thursday, Oct. 27 at Gibbs High School, 850 34th St. S, St. Petersburg from 5:30-8 p.m., is designed to show the various crucial points of bullying through narration, acting, theatrical presentation and fashion runway.

The plot of the production is centered on bullying incidents at school, peer pressure, the need for acceptance, community influences and the effects of social media. It will attempt to show various types of bullying by clothing color coordination such as:

• Verbal: Taunting, teasing, extortion, threats to include transgender and peer pressure surrounding auto thefts. There will be a ballerina dancing to “Ave Maria” (fashion scene colors of blue/white).

• Physical/Aggression/Relationships: Harm to another, self-esteem, group acceptance to include human trafficking. There will be a poet reciting, “You Love Me” (fashion scene colors of orange, brown, beige).

• Cyber: Using technology to intimidate or harass another person (fashion scene colors of red, gray, black). There will be a soloist singing “Precious Lord.”

• Overcome: This is when one comes to grips with their fears and overcomes.  Youth will be singing and dancing to the song “Joyful, Joyful” from the movie “Sister Act 2” (fashion scene of neon colors).

A narrator will provide the bullying statistics along with the seriousness of this problem, warning signs and how we as a community can overcome. The narrator will set the stage for each scene by providing information on the level of bullying being presented as well as walk the audience through the scene.  Short videos will be shown when transitioning from one scene to another.

The front lobby of the theater will include several resource tables that will provide information and literature on how one can receive assistance when dealing with these issues.