Paper Mill Performance Adresses Cyberbullying

How much is too much technology? And what should kids do because of cyberbullying? That's what middle schoolers learned about during a performance at the Paper Mill Playhouse on Tuesday.

The Paper Mill presented "Virtually Me!" as part of its On-School Time Series. The show addresses the issues of burgeoning technology and social media in relation to middle and high school age kids.  Set at WiFi High, the story surrounds four tech savvy students, Zeke, Jasper, Lindsay and Chloe.  Lindsay becomes the victim of cyberbullying when her friends post an embarrassing rumor on "zekebook."

"We hope that kids will take away that their actions are a lot more than just a finger pushing a button on a computer.  That when they post something online it never ever goes away. " said Paper Mill Artistic Director Mark Hobee.  "And if you've been bullied that they can recover from it.  It's poignant especially given the recent reports of cyberbullying and it's tragic consequences." 

Danielle Ferrone, a middle school math teacher at Aquinas Academy in Livingston echoed Hobee's sentiments.  "There's a huge privacy issue.  They don't understand yet that what they do at home online goes beyond their four walls.  Just because the people they say things about online aren't right in front of them, it can still be just as damaging," she said. "I also want them to learn that if they witness bullying they shouldn't be passive bystanders—they should speak out."

The show addresses issues like the speed at which rumors spread online and how damaging they are to the person who is the subject.  It shows how what seemed like harmless fun can be devestating to the person on the receiving end of the bullying.

The ensemble cast, including Aaron Catano, Graham Douglass, Ashley Tobias, Dara Hartman, and Wade Mowles, play high school students and their principal living in the digital age.  In additon to the cyberbullying issue, the show tackles how much is too much technology and how can a balance be acheived between their digital lives and their real lives.