A special presentation of the play “Out of Bounds” dealing with adolescents and bullying will be given at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts.
The play, presented by Working Group Theatre, is based on interviews with children and adults. The program is free, but reservations are required and are being accepted.
“Bullying’s an incredibly complicated thing. Part of what makes it so difficult is each instance is individual,” said Sean Christopher Lewis, director and sound designer of “Out of Bounds.” The story revolves around Amy, a new girl in school, who’s a bit of a tomboy.
Her new friends “pressure her to take a photo of herself to prove she’s a girl,” Lewis said. “They send the provocative photo and pass it around school and use it to bully her and make her life miserable.”
The play looks at the options open to Amy, especially since she can’t leave the school.
“What are avenues that can create new friends, groups or connections you can get involved in that can help ease that (stress)? The big problem with bullying and why it’s so devastating for kids is it makes them feel alone,” he noted.
In addition to the actors on stage, “Out of Bounds” features a visual component — a graphic novel projected throughout the show. It is meant to be a journal done by Amy who draws her experiences as someone creating a comic book would do.
“Comic books can do a really good job of portraying metaphors visually,” Lewis explained. When Amy or students bullied like her feel someone is always after them, a comic book story “is a more poignant way of demonstrating that. It’s also just cool to look at. It’s all the level of spectacle that audiences need,” the director said.
Make reservations at http://bit.ly/1XBUQGQ