It was the first day of class at the Asteroid Academy and Tilly already lost her lunch. She got angry and tore up a classmate’s lunch box with her super strength. It wasn’t until Tilly’s mom brought the girl’s lunch – which was left at home – that Tilly realized she made a big mistake: She hadn’t though about her classmate’s feelings and was bullying him.
Anti-bullying and empathy were part of the message the Taproot Theatre crew hoped they could deliver to students at Our Lady of Fatima School this afternoon. Taproot Theatre Company tours social dynamic plays and is based in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood.
As kindergarteners through eighth graders sat in the bleachers, four actors transformed into super heroes for an hour and played out the problems the students face regularly.
“We talk a lot about controlling your emotions and problem solving,” actress Charissa Huff said. “It’s mainly to get kids thinking about the options they have.”
Huff played Danrelle, who used her invisibility powers to steal Tilly’s rocket ball during recess. Throughout the play, Tilly figured out how she could get her ball back without hurting others’ feelings and getting in trouble with the school principal.
The performance ended with an Asteroid Academy contest. The superheroes in training used their powers to outrun and outwit each other in hopes of becoming a famous hero’s sidekick. Lady of Fatima students cheered Tilly on as she forgave Danrelle for stealing and saved Danrelle from a marsh.
A question-and-answer session followed the performance, and students eagerly raised their hands to talk about what they learned. Adrienne Littleton, who played Tilly, asked what the consequences of bullying are. One student said it makes someone “feel left out” and “sad.” Another student said anyone who gets bullied could feel embarrassed, while across the gym, a student said bullying victims would feel afraid.
Reporting a bully, however, isn’t the same as being a tattletale. Reporting is good because you want to help someone, while tattletales want to get others in trouble. “We talk to kids about resolving conflict,” Huff said. “Even if they don’t like a person, they could try and be nice to that person.”
The Taproot crew was invited to Lady of Fatima to finish off the school’s Building Community Day, Principal Susan Burdett said. The group performed at the school last year and was a hit. Building Community Day is among Lady of Fatima’s activities to commemorate Catholic Schools Week. Students from all grades – kindergarten through eighth – get into groups, or “families,” of 16 or 17. During Building Community Day, family members do class activities, eat lunch and go to recess together. The day ends with the Taproot performance.
As Burdett halted cars and motioned students across a painted path to their parents, a younger student walked along a sidewalk that hugs Lady of Fatima. Next to her is an older student, who kept his eye out for cars and talked to the girl about the performance. “Have you ever been bullied?” the girl asked. As they make their way across the crosswalk, the boy looked down at her. “No, but it’d really suck if someone ripped my lunchbox in half,” he said.
