Anti Bullying Program Features Branford Resident David Rosenthal

Presented by The Random Farms Kids’ Theater, The New Kid is a 55-minute musical about a group of students dealing with peer pressure, hazing, bullying, and the importance of staying true to oneself. The show is performed entirely by young actors ranging in age from 10- to 15-years-old, who will travel to local elementary and middle schools throughout the 2014-2015 school year.

“The goal of this program is to create an awareness about the dangers of bullying in a way that’s accessible to elementary and middle school students,” says Anya Wallach, the show’s producer. “Having kids perform for kids is tremendously advantageous because the audience can connect to the performers.”

The core themes of The New Kid are meant to help younger students identify and address issues of character development that will give them the strength later in life to deal with personal differences - no matter what they are.

“The key is to start educating kids before they get to high school, so they arrive armed with the tools to deal with bullying in any form,” Wallach explains.

The 2014-2015 season of the tour features a Branford resident, David Rosenthal, in the role of Dre.

The New Kid was written for audiences in grades 2-8 and has been performed at over 100 area schools over the last six years. In February 2014, the cast traveled to the Bahamas to perform for more than 1,000 of their local students. The cast and crew will travel to elementary and middle schools in the NY-NJ-CT area throughout the 2014-2015 school year. Each performance includes a post-show Q&A with students, teachers, and the cast. Schools interested in booking the show can contact the Random Farms Kids’ Theater at 212-956-2566 or email the General Manager, Piper Gunnarson, at piper@randomfarms.com.