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Schools

Ellington Students Take an Emotional Look at Bullying

The Opening Knight Players use Phoebe Prince's tragic tale to illustrate how dangerous and devastating bullying can be.

After a powerful and energetic performance from the Opening Knight Players of Ellington High School, cast and crew unanimously agreed that they were more likely to step in if they saw someone being bullied. The students produced "Where the Sun is Silent," an original play written and directed by drama teacher William Prenetta.

The play is a fictionalized story based on the life of Phoebe Prince, a 14-year-old Irish immigrant who tragically committed suicide in January 2010 after being the victim of brutal and incessant bullying at the hands of fellow students at her Massachusetts high school. The show hit home for many of the student performers, who, during a discussion after the 45-minute performance, admitted that they have witnessed bullying in their own school.

"It doesn't happen out in the middle of the hallways, a bunch of jocks beating up a nerd," said Alec Marcus, who played Danny, one of Phoebe's true friends. "It happens in corners and in the locker room. You can see it in the faces of the people being bullied - there's a sadness. People just need to look around them and reach out."

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Bullying is not always as obvious as is portrayed in Hollywood movies, like "Mean Girls," and is often found in the most unexpected places. Marcus and several other cast members said they have seen teachers also being bullied - sometimes by the students themselves. This could be why some teachers do not step in when bullying is happening right in front of them, said the students.

"So many people are so scared to get involved," said Kiersten Burke, who played Phoebe's mother. "I've seen teachers ignore things in their classrooms because they are scared, too. It doesn't matter what age you are."

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"I don't think most people know what to do," Marcus said.

Many of the cast and crew spoke about the different forms of bullying - verbal, physical and on the Web. Cyber bullying, as it's called, often happens on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and has put all new dimensions on what it means to be a bully.

"Cyber bullying puts a whole new twist on it," said one crew member.

"It's not physical or right in your face, but it's the same feeling," said another crew member.

Several of the students said that unlike face-to-face bullying, cyber bullying allows the perpetrator to taunt his or her victim without having to deal with the immediate conflict.

"Cyber bullying is easy," said Rachel Ballasy, who plays Phoebe's friend from Ireland.

Cast members said it was not easy to bully their friend, Kady Joy, who portrayed Phoebe Prince, even if it was fictitious.

"It was hard," said Kelly Stauffer, who played Erica, one of the bullies. "It's important to remember it's your character, not you. You have to have focus."
Stauffer said she also had to remember that it wasn't really Joy that she was attacking.

"I thought of all the bad times I've had in my life and I pushed that energy out on Phoebe - not Kady," she said.

In the play, which Prenetta stressed was a fictional story based on the experiences of Phoebe Prince, bullies Brittany, Erika and Mandy endlessly taunted Phoebe for flirting and then having sex with Brittany and Mandy's boyfriends.

According to Prenetta's version of the story, the freshman Phoebe was lured into sexual relationships with the older, senior boys Mike and Alex, played by Andy Roets and Josh Feldman. Phoebe claimed that Mike told her that he and Brittany were "on and off" and that Alex said he didn't have a girlfriend. But the excuses, despite her attempts to apologize, only fueled the girls, who confronted her at school, through text messages and on Facebook.

Prenetta wrote harsh language into the play so that the audience would get a better idea of what bullying is like for many children. Some of the names Phoebe endured were "slut” and "Irish whore,” among many others. As a result, the play was for high school students and mature audiences.

"This is not a happy subject matter," Prenetta said. "This play explains Phoebe's journey."

Bullying, he said, is a problem everywhere.

"It happens in Ellington High School," he said. "I hate to tell you that, but it does."
Throughout the play Phoebe reads lines from Dante's Inferno, which mirrored the torment she endured.

"I've come to a place mute of light," she read, as Dante entered the second circle of hell.

Prenetta did a lot of research on Phoebe and her experiences before her death, and learned that before she was finally successful at taking her life, she attempted to commit suicide multiple times. The play depicts one episode where she swallowed an entire bottle of aspirin.

"Hell isn't below, it's right here on earth and I started it," Phoebe said. "Is there any way to quench the flame?"

On the last day of her life, the bullies told her, "The world would be better off without you."

"Would it?" Phoebe asked herself.

At the end of Dante's Inferno, he leaves hell and returns to earth. Phoebe's body was returned to Ireland, where she was laid to rest.

Phoebe's death was not just caused by bullying, Prenetta said. Phoebe had a lot of problems - which included being bullied back in Ireland - and suffered with many self-esteem issues, as do many high school students. Those issues, he said, should be addressed while they are still young - one of the goals of producing "Where the Sun is Silent."

“Where the Sun is Silent” will run again today, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Ellington High School's Gordon C. Getchell Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and students, and can be purchased at the door. Due to the subject matter, unless supervised by an adult, middle school students and younger are not encouraged to attend. Following the performance, there will be a 20-25 minute “talk back” on bullying. On March 25 and 26, the production will be brought to the CT Drama Association Festival at Pomperaug High School in Southbury. If Ellington is chosen as one of the two top plays from Connecticut at CDA, it would be showcased in the New England Drama Festival, hosted this year in Massachusetts.

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