Open Forum

I remember seeing a play when I was in high school that the school used at the beginning of the year to get everyone thinking about the effects of their actions and words on others. It had a lot of inner monologues (the characters were worried about what others were thinking of them, or thinking about a fight with their parents from earlier, etc.) and then as they bumped into each other they'd think "That person must hate me/be racist/not want to sit next to girls/etc." when really there was so much more going on behind each of the interactions and characters' motivations. For example, one student bumped into another's backpack, and that student took it as being bullied and turned with a scowl to the offender. But as the audience we knew the offender was preoccupied by something earlier in the day, so it was an innocent mistake, and but the scowl made them even more worried and sent them deeper in their own spiral. 

So I would LOVE if someone either knew of this one-act play or had others to suggest that could carry similar messages for middle schoolers about empathy, pausing to think, and how we have huge worlds that we enter the classrooms from and actions outside can ripple affect into our classrooms/days/interactions. 

Thank you!!

Definitely has a similar sound as the play The Struggles.  That one made our audience cry.  It was powerful.  It was a look inside a girl with dyslexia and ADD.  It was one of those WOW gut punch stories.  

The same company (Pioneer Drama) has a show called Gossip.  Makes the concept very tangible with a character named Gossip.  As she spreads her lies, the impacted characters have red added to their costume (scarf, sweater, etc).  They also start to have physical reactions.  Very poignant.  Kids loved it. 

I remember seeing a play when I was in high school that the school used at the beginning of the year to get everyone thinking about the effects of their actions and words on others. It had a lot of inner monologues (the characters were worried about what others were thinking of them, or thinking about a fight with their parents from earlier, etc.) and then as they bumped into each other they'd think "That person must hate me/be racist/not want to sit next to girls/etc." when really there was so much more going on behind each of the interactions and characters' motivations. For example, one student bumped into another's backpack, and that student took it as being bullied and turned with a scowl to the offender. But as the audience we knew the offender was preoccupied by something earlier in the day, so it was an innocent mistake, and but the scowl made them even more worried and sent them deeper in their own spiral. 

So I would LOVE if someone either knew of this one-act play or had others to suggest that could carry similar messages for middle schoolers about empathy, pausing to think, and how we have huge worlds that we enter the classrooms from and actions outside can ripple affect into our classrooms/days/interactions. 

Thank you!!

I don't think that this is the play you are looking for but The Children's Hour has similar themes of words and consequences. I've also directed Gossip, but The Children's Hour  by Lillian Hellman moved me more - the ending is heart breaking. I think it is loosely based on a true story:  https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1854

Definitely has a similar sound as the play The Struggles.  That one made our audience cry.  It was powerful.  It was a look inside a girl with dyslexia and ADD.  It was one of those WOW gut punch stories.  

The same company (Pioneer Drama) has a show called Gossip.  Makes the concept very tangible with a character named Gossip.  As she spreads her lies, the impacted characters have red added to their costume (scarf, sweater, etc).  They also start to have physical reactions.  Very poignant.  Kids loved it. 

I remember seeing a play when I was in high school that the school used at the beginning of the year to get everyone thinking about the effects of their actions and words on others. It had a lot of inner monologues (the characters were worried about what others were thinking of them, or thinking about a fight with their parents from earlier, etc.) and then as they bumped into each other they'd think "That person must hate me/be racist/not want to sit next to girls/etc." when really there was so much more going on behind each of the interactions and characters' motivations. For example, one student bumped into another's backpack, and that student took it as being bullied and turned with a scowl to the offender. But as the audience we knew the offender was preoccupied by something earlier in the day, so it was an innocent mistake, and but the scowl made them even more worried and sent them deeper in their own spiral. 

So I would LOVE if someone either knew of this one-act play or had others to suggest that could carry similar messages for middle schoolers about empathy, pausing to think, and how we have huge worlds that we enter the classrooms from and actions outside can ripple affect into our classrooms/days/interactions. 

Thank you!!

I remember seeing a play when I was in high school that the school used at the beginning of the year to get everyone thinking about the effects of their actions and words on others. It had a lot of inner monologues (the characters were worried about what others were thinking of them, or thinking about a fight with their parents from earlier, etc.) and then as they bumped into each other they'd think "That person must hate me/be racist/not want to sit next to girls/etc." when really there was so much more going on behind each of the interactions and characters' motivations. For example, one student bumped into another's backpack, and that student took it as being bullied and turned with a scowl to the offender. But as the audience we knew the offender was preoccupied by something earlier in the day, so it was an innocent mistake, and but the scowl made them even more worried and sent them deeper in their own spiral. 

So I would LOVE if someone either knew of this one-act play or had others to suggest that could carry similar messages for middle schoolers about empathy, pausing to think, and how we have huge worlds that we enter the classrooms from and actions outside can ripple affect into our classrooms/days/interactions. 

Thank you!!