Shows that Grapple with Bullying

This Bullying Prevention Month, explore the shows in the Concord Theatricals catalog that grapple with this important subject. And for even more resources on how to deal with bullying, click here.

A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 1f, 6m)
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, blisteringly funny masterwork exposes the heart and soul of a young artist grappling with desires, identity and instincts he both loves and loathes. Hell-bent on breaking free of his own self-perception, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-shooting ensemble.

Begets: Fall of a High School Ronin by Qui Nguyen (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 5f, 3m)
An action-packed samurai story set inside the halls of an all-American high school. Emi Edwards, a high school “geekgurl” is fighting to overthrow the cruel shoguns of her school. However, in her journey to right wrongs, will her own cravings for popularity and power corrupt her quest to save the school? Will she able to establish a new world order? Or will violence just beget more violence?

Bully No More! by Elaine Davida Sklar, Jon Gailmor and Danielle Davis (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 9 any gender)
A musical celebration of the power of individuals who band together and stand up for what is right. With compelling characters and lively songs, the show empowers and inspires its audience to look out for one another, treat each other with kindness and respect, and “Hold Onto Hope” in an imperfect world.

Carrie: The Musical by Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford and Lawrence D. Cohen (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Drama / 8f, 6m)
Carrie White is a teenage outcast who longs to fit in. At school, she’s bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she’s dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. What none of them know is that Carrie’s just discovered she’s got a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie by Dan Gillespie Sells, Tom MacRae and Jonathan Butterell (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy / 8f, 10m)
Jamie New is 16 and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in but is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant, loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies, and steps out of the darkness into the spotlight.

Fat Ham by James Ijames (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3f, 4m)
In this delectably comic, Pulitzer Prize-winning reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an uproarious family barbecue instigates a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy. Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid, already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. A sensitive and self-aware young Black man, Juicy tries to break the cycles of trauma and violence in service of his own liberation.

Hazelwood Jr. High by Rob Urbinati (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 6f)
At first, Hazelwood Jr. High is like any other middle school – cliques and crushes, dances and detention. But when a new girl unwittingly steps into a “love triangle,” a revenge plot is hatched, and events spin out of control, escalating into a shocking and unimaginable climax. Based on a true story.

Heathers the Musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Dark Comedy / 9f, 8m)
Based on the classic 1989 film. Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing junta: Heather, Heather and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. But misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place – six feet under.

Peerless by Jiehae Park (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy / 3f, 2m)
Asian-American twins M and L have given up everything to get into The College. So when D, a one-sixteenth Native American classmate, gets “their” spot instead, they figure they’ve got only one option: kill him. A darkly comedic take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth about the very ambitious and the cut-throat world of high school during college admissions.

Push by George Cameron Grant (US/UK)
(Short Play, Drama / 1f, 1m, 3 girls, 3boys)
What would it take to push your child over the edge? Eve, a 16 year-old girl, has fallen asleep in the darkened, dingy corner of a deserted subway station, not far from the platform edge where Billy, her 18 year-old brother, chose to leave this world, and where she’ll soon struggle to find the reasons NOT to follow him.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4f, 6m)
In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story. Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.

She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6f, 3m)
Agnes Evans decides to leave her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. But when Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. With this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and ’90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

Starlight Express by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard Stilgoe and & David Yazbek (US)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 4f, 4m)
A child’s train set magically comes to life and the various engines compete to become the “Fastest engine in the World!” The underdog, Rusty the Steam train, has little chance until he is inspired by the legend of the “Starlight Express.” He ultimately defeats his archrivals Greaseball and Electra before going on to win the hand of the lovely first class coach, Pearl.

Super Sidekick: The Musical by Michael Gordon Shapiro and Gregory Crafts (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 1f, 3m, 3 any gender)
When famous superhero Blackjack the Bold is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, it’s up to his assistant Inky to step up and save the day! Little does he know that he’ll also have to contend with Ninja Koalas, dark caves, secret weapons and an abducted princess who’s considerably braver than he is.

The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 10f)
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz, Clark Gesner, Michael Mayer and Andrew Lippa (US/UK)
(Full-Length Musical, Comedy / 2f, 4m)
Based on the classic comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, this crowd-pleaser features Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang as they explore life’s great questions, play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over crushes, and celebrate the joy of friendship.

Header image: 2017 West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Johan Persson)