Stop the Violence, Start the Conversation

This is the story of a unique collaboration between educators, artists, and a community service organization whose joint mission was to bring about personal awareness and public conversation on the topic of bullying, teen suicides, and violence in public schools. At its most relevant, a piece of theatre creates a conversation between an issue, a community of performers, and a community of citizens. At its most meaningful, a piece of theatre offers new perspectives on how diverse individuals process information and apply personal experiences to a life. At its most transformational, a piece of theatre offers an opportunity for collaboration between different people with different voices and opinions, and in the end, such a theatre piece can create a new “playing field” for tolerance, appreciation, inspiration, and possibilities. Such is the intention of the groundbreaking event called BODY LANGUAGE. This book includes a DVD of the Body Language 2011 performance, the monologues produced by the participants, and a guide with activities to help you facilitate a program with the young people in your communities.