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bullying-090414

Acting against bullying

April 2009

Balmoral State High School's Year 8 drama students will be using "enhanced forum theatre" techniques to introduce local primary schoolchildren to anti-bullying tactics.

In the Acting Against Bullying program, designed by Griffith University's Applied Theatre department, the drama students demonstrate a problem and audience members suggest solutions for the actors to improvise.

Balmoral State High School drama teacher Craig Wood said the Year 8 students would take their performances to Year 5 students next term and those students would then create a performance for Year 3 students.

'The program's early trials show this process provides students with effective strategies to prevent or address bullying,' Mr Wood said.

'In the purist form of enhanced forum theatre the audience members would act out the solutions to the problem but in our model they judge the effectiveness of their suggestions by watching the role-play.'

Balmoral State High School Deputy Principal Gerowyn Lacaze said the program had been proven to build students' confidence and resilience to manage bullying incidents.