Horizon Middle School students use theater to help prevent bullying
September 30, 2014
“Letters to Daddy” to be performed Oct. 9
Presented by Horizon Middle School Theater to coincide with October’s National Bullying Prevention Month, “Letters to Daddy,” a one-hour musical production that looks at bullying and how it affects children, will be performed by a group of Horizon Middle School eighth-grade students at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 9 in the Moorhead High School auditorium, 2300 4th Ave. S. General admission tickets will be available at the door.
More than 1,000 Moorhead elementary and middle school students will watch this musical with a message during the day in conjunction with the district’s efforts to address bullying. The group is also looking to perform outreach events for other elementary and middle school students in surrounding communities to spread the anti-bulling message across the Red River Valley.
In “Letters to Daddy,” Caroline Turner, an ordinary 12-year-old girl, has a day full of challenges. Worried about her parents getting divorced, Caroline oversleeps and misses the bus. Ultimately, she winds up in detention after an encounter with a bully that led to a fight at recess. At home, she’s shuttled to her father’s den to contemplate her actions. Caroline discovers a folder of student papers on her father’s desk. He’s a fifth-grade teacher whose class has written anonymous essays that detail painful issues in their lives. Through the issues revealed in the letters and with the help of concerned friends, Caroline gains wisdom, a better understanding of others’ lives, and a greater appreciation of her own life. By the end of the musical, her awful day becomes an awesome day — and the only thing that changed was her perspective.
“Letters to Daddy” is an original musical production that offers a proactive, theatrical approach to empowering children and making us all aware that there is more to a person’s character than what we see on the outside. Inspired by an elementary school teacher, “Letters to Daddy” was created and developed by 4eProductions as part of its mission to make a difference in the world by balancing entertainment with education. The musical made its debut at The Lycian Theatre in Sugarloaf, N.Y., in July 2009.
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