A musical program that addresses issues such as bullying, peer pressure and prejudice among teenagers will be presented to area middle- and high-school students Tuesday.
“Stand Up! Change Teen Statistics” will be shown at 9:30 a.m. and about 1:15 p.m. in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center auditorium.
The morning show will be in front of Marmaton Valley’s high school and middle school students. Students from Iola High School, Iola Middle School and Crossroads Learning Center will be at the afternoon show.
Parents or others interested are welcome to attend; seating should be available in the balcony. Admission is free of charge.
The hour-long show is based on stories and experiences of more than 90 teens and will delve into sensitive topics such as drug abuse, drinking, teen sex and violence.
The musical will include a number of original sketches.
Bullying, a topic “that seems to have reared its ugly head recently,” is a major point of emphasis, said Susan Raines, Bowlus executive director.
Raines looked through scores of presentations about bullying and other teen issues before finding information about “Stand Up!”
“This really just stood out because of how the material is presented,” Raines said. “They’re not preaching, but they’re doing in a theatrical mode.”
Study guides also have been distributed to area teachers, school counselors and administrators. Other literature is available for students, either in paper form or online.
The musical is presented by Reach, Educate, Inspire (R.Ed.I.), a non-profit arts and education foundation dedicated to fostering communication, providing hope and offering resources and facts to teens on a number of issues they face each day.
“One of our goals is to simply get the conversation started,” Raines said.
The program is made available through funding from the Sleeper Family Trust.
