Still interested in an assembly for this year? We have openings now through June 1, 2023!
Schedule a bullying prevention assembly for your school today!
In-person and virtual options available.
See shows and pricing below:
NEW! The Friend Ship by Bethany Wallace
Available in-person for the 2023-2024 school year.
Swashbuckling scallywag! The good ship Buccaneer has a bad case of bullying behavior, and it’s much worse than our hero Lou ever experienced on the playground. The pirate captain calls Lou names and makes ‘em scrub the deck! And that’s not all; it turns out the captain is also being bullied by an old friend. Can Lou and his fellow crewmembers teach their captain a few things about being an upstander before the next full moon? Or will Captain No Beard ruin the day and steal their map to the treasure?
Bugs! by Melanie Hampton
Available in-person and virtually.
Things are snug as a bug in a rug at school until the new kid shows up with enviable expertise about bugs. All the students think Max is the bee’s knees. All of them, except Logan, whose jealousy turns into bullying behavior that’s as bad as a case of bed bugs. Will the other students realize they can’t just be flies on a wall? Can Max stand up to Logan’s bullying behavior? And is there room for new friendship on the playground?
Future Tense by Melanie Hampton & Anna Lund
Available in-person for the 2023-2024 school year.
Adrian, Cameron, Lou, and Kai have been friends since kindergarten, but now Cameron’s deleting Adrian from group chats and excluding them from social events. As their friendship fractures, two unexpected visitors from the future intervene and persuade Cameron and Adrian to examine what’s really behind the bullying behavior. Future Tense explores the impact of ongoing harassment, the influence of online culture, and how to notice and respond when it seems like something’s up.
Story of An Off-Brand Band by Michelle Lang-Raymond
Available in-person January – February 2024 only.
Everyone’s ready to rock and roll to the sound of the American dream—except one. When the members of The Preamble go on tour, the band is living the dream, except that the guitarist is treated differently than the other band members. If each of them truly matters, then this band has a decision to make. In this poignant metaphor for Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, the band must figure out how to make the show go on.
BUGS! by Melanie Hampton
Things are snug as a bug in a rug at school until the new kid shows up with enviable expertise about bugs. All the students think Max is the bee’s knees. All of them, except Logan, whose jealousy turns into bullying behavior that’s as bad as a case of bed bugs. Will the other students realize they can’t just be flies on a wall? Can Max stand up to Logan’s bullying behavior? And is there room for new friendship on the playground?
ALLIES FROM OUTER SPACE by Bethany Wallace
Jeepers creepers! The aliens are coming to school, and they never shower! At least that’s the gossip when an alien spaceship makes an emergency landing on earth. While waiting for repairs, the alien queen on board sends her daughter to the local school with a mission: to find out if humans are intolerant of differences and if they use their technology to bully others. Will the students at Galaxia Elementary treat Princess Komodo with respect despite her tail and webbed fingers? Or will their bullying behavior force the queen to take drastic measures against bullying and wipe out the earth’s technology for good?!
SUPER SCHOOL by Bethany Wallace
Your favorite heroes from Camp Super Friend are back for a new adventure! It’s Marvel’s first day at Asteroid Academy and Jet introduces him to Danrelle, a girl with invisibility power, and Tilly, a girl with super-strength and a temper to match. When Danrelle uses her power to steal Tilly’s rocket ball and bully her into losing her temper, Tilly’s reaction puts her in danger of being suspended. Can Tilly learn to manage her emotions in time? Will the students of Asteroid Academy learn the power of the three R’s: Recognizing, Reporting and Refusing Bullying Behavior before their actions cause superhero-sized trouble?
TEAM PLAYER MODE by Bethany Wallace
Today’s mission: start at a new school and make some friends. After Ben moves in with his dad he finds out life at his new school is way different. Everyone makes fun of his backpack and they all play that new adventure video game. If Ben can just learn how to play and complete a mission he’ll be invited to join The 5th Grade Gamers. But between his opponents in the fantastical video game world and the students at school, Ben’s going to need the power of the three R’s: Recognizing, Reporting and Refusing bullying behavior and the teamwork of his gaming friends to complete his mission.
Relationship Status by Anne Kennedy Brady
Jason and Trevor have been best friends for years, but Jason’s pursuit of Claire throws it all into turmoil. As alliances shift and Trevor struggles to maintain their friendship, Jason and his new girlfriend begin an online campaign of bullying and harassment which leaves Trevor isolated and upset. With newfound confidence, Jason begins a run for class president, providing Trevor an opportunity to publicly humiliate him. Relationship Status examines the social consequences of online behavior, and how to make positive choices to end the downward spiral of cyberbullying and harassment.
The Social Networth by Melanie Hampton
It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Hayley’s Body Positivity Club is off to a start, and she’s chronicling the experience on her vlog. Meanwhile, class clown Jason struggles with his own body image after his best friend Cody makes fun of him. To hide his insecurities, Jason joins Cody in remixing Hayley’s vlogs into an embarrassing montage body-shaming her. As the video spreads around the school, Hayley’s life starts to crumble and the students of Everwood must choose how they treat their peers. The Social Networth examines the consequences of online behavior while helping students make positive choices to end cyberbullying and harassment.
To book any show email touring@taproottheatre.org.
In-person:
Taproot Theatre Company has toured educational plays to students since 1985 and reaches more than 100,000 students annually. TTC is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for nonprofit professional theatres. Founded in 1976, TTC tells stories of hope, serving the Pacific Northwest through live theatre and educational programs.
Our scripts are guided by Second Step Curriculum.
Taproot Theatre acknowledges that we live, work and play on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the Duwamish, and that we occupy this land. This acknowledgement does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities but serves as a first step in honoring the land we occupy and resisting the erasure of Indigenous past, present and future.