INTERVIEW: Bullying Musical

The start of a new school year also means the start of a new bullying year for some students.  

Every day, 160,000 kids miss school to avoid being bullied. It leads to self-esteem problems, anxiety, depression, in some cases even suicide. Some local students think a musical might be the solution.

Today, the performance kicks off, and KSTP talked to Sherilyn Howes, of Youth Performance Company, and Maggie Cramer, actress in the musical, about how the stage show will help prevent the bullying problem.

Cramer said that she was bullied in middle school, and that the harsh comments don’t originally hurt you, but after a while it builds up and hurts people.

Howes said that the way people bully has changed drastically in the last couple years thanks to technology.

The start of the musical originated with the founder, Jackie Knight, after a news story about a boy who had been burned by his friends. 

Some of the topics the show will hit on are bullying people for their sexual orientation, physical disabilities and cultural backgrounds.

Opening night is on Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.  The show goes until Oct. 14 in the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center on 1900 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis.