ARVIAT
A dramatic step is about to be taken in the battle to end bullying in Arviat.
Travis (Ethan Tassiuk) breaks the cycle of bullying in the final scene of the play, Downhill, and accepts an invitation to colour from his younger sister, Emma (Kaia Paterson), during drama club rehearsals at John Arnalukjuak High School in Arviat this past week. - photo courtesy of Gord Billard
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The John Arnalukjuak High School (JAHS) Drama Club is in rehearsals to perform seven short plays on bullying.
Director Gord Billard said the plays are tentatively slated for June 18 and 19, but there is a chance one may debut during an upcoming school assembly.
He said each play runs between 10 to 15 minutes in duration.
"There has been a real focus on bullying at JAHS this year," said Billard.
"I wanted to continue that and, while researching plays that deal with bullying online, I found a book containing 24 plays on the topic.
"I ordered The Bully Plays compiled by Linda Habjan and quickly saw it covers a lot of territory.
"It treats everything from school bullying to family bullying, and even bosses bullying their employees."
Billard selected seven plays he felt his actors could relate to.
He said the seven plays have a broad scope, and the rehearsals have been going quite well to date.
"It looks like we'll have about 15 kids performing, with some doing several parts.
"None of them are in every play, but everyone is in between two to four.
"We began rehearsing in mid-February on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and Saturday afternoon.
"Once we get closer to our production date, we'll add an extra rehearsal here and there."
Billard said his young actors have really taken to the subject material.
He said a couple of the plays mention suicide, as well as bullying.
"We have a kid nicknamed Blu, and he plays a character of the same name.
"The character is a little guy who hangs himself after being bullied in school.
"In the play we see Blu watching from a corner as his big brother takes friends up to his room to find a journal he had written, so they can read a poem from it at his funeral.
"It's one of the more moving plays of the seven."
Billard said Blu shows the tragedy of bullying and the difficulty in dealing with someone's death.
He said things get especially touching in Blu's room, when the youths reflect upon the type of person he was and the events that led to him becoming depressed and taking his own life.
"The more times the kids rehearse that play, the more moving it becomes.
"We end the plays with a very cool scene that leaves the audience with a bullying-has-to-stop message.
"It has to stop with the youngest in our society.
"If we can stop it there, maybe there's hope for those who come after."
The drama club began tackling serious subject matter about three years ago.
Since then, both JAHS staff and community members have taken note of the substantial change in the material.
Billard said the community approves of the change as a good direction for the club to go in.
He said any time the drama club can present a social message to affect change, make people think about what they're doing or make things better in whatever way possible; that's a good thing.
"We're not training anyone here to be Hollywood actors or anything like that.
"We hope to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence, while showing them there's something positive to do in the evenings rather than walking around town.
"And, at the same time, teaching them something about their lives as they're unfolding now.
"We've been moving more in that direction during the past three years with plays such as The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note and The Breakfast Club."
Billard said the more it tackles socially-relevant material, the more the drama club is looked upon as a vehicle for social change.
He said drama has the ability to make things better through entertainment.
"The feedback we received from teachers, adults in the community, Mayor Bob Leonard and Department of Education officials was all very positive and encouraging.
"It helped the kids and I realize this is a direction we should continue to go in."
Billard said the tone changes among the young thespians when they deal with serious subject matter, often taking more of a reflective approach to their performances.
He said they see the inherent value in doing these plays, and that comes through in their dedication.
"We have good attendance at rehearsals and nobody's dropping out.
"They all come with the right mindset knowing it's going to be serious drama, and they're prepared for that.
"They know in their heads they have to be serious about this, and they've all accepted that challenge.
"There's an increase in the maturity they bring to these types of rehearsals, there's no doubt about it."
