You are not alone.

A guest post by Brian Farrey, author of With or Without You.

By now, I hope you’ve heard about the suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer. I say “hope” because it’s a story that isn’t going to get a lot of mainstream attention and I think it’s a story that everyone needs to hear. It’s made the rounds on my RSS feed but then, I’m prone to subscribe to feeds that would naturally cover this. So often, I get bombarded with news stories that I feel everyone MUST know about just because I see them constantly, only to learn that many people don’t know what’s happening.

And maybe you’ve also heard the story that after Jamey’s funeral, his sister went to a dance at school where the bullies in Jamey’s life chanted that they were glad he’s dead. Remember when you were told to just ignore a bully and they’d go away? That’s a lie. It’s always been a lie. Today, they bully you even when you’re dead.

I’ve got my own stories of being bullied. In grade school, a wealthy classmate offered to buy a brand new BMX bike for anyone who would beat me up. In junior high, I got tossed around a bit. High school was more about psychological abuse. Let’s face it: when your last name is Farrey, you’ve pretty much got a bullseye on your forehead 24/7.

When I think of how prevalent bullying was in my life, it seems insurmountable. Like NOTHING could ever be done to stop it. And there are elements in this country who don’t think it’s possible to stop, or insist it’s a “natural part of growing up,” or have no interest in trying. (Yes, Representative Bachmann, I’m looking at you.) But it’s only in recent years that I’ve begun to believe we CAN do something. We SHOULD do something.

I’d like to suggest some fairly small/easy things you can do that could make all the difference to someone who’s being bullied:

• Donate to the Trevor Project. This is a great hotline dedicated to preventing suicide among LGBT youth. At our wedding last year, my husband and I did a dollar dance where we contributed the money to the Trevor Project. I say that not to boast but to show that I’m getting behind when I say “please donate to the Trevor Project.”

• If you’re in the Twin Cities, check out a performance of MEAN, an original drama about bullying and it’s increasingly tragic consequences. Produced by the Youth Performance Company, it traces the story of three students being tormented based on physical appearance, perceived sexual orientation, and religion.

• Donate a copy of the recently released Dear Bully to your local library. 70 authors recount stories of their own abuses growing up in an attempt to reach out to anyone in a similar predicament today.

• Follow Caleb Laieski on Twitter. He’s a 16-year-old guy from Arizona who is lobbying President Obama to to appoint a youth advisor to work with the administration on the everyday emotional and complex issues that LGBT youth face. You can sign Caleb’s petition here. I’ve got tons of respect for Caleb and what he’s trying to do.

I’ll be honest: I don’t know how I got through it. I know I had a close knit group of friends in high school who were a large part of helping me achieve some mental stability. But before that? I have no clue. I just know that as long as I can do SOMETHING to reach out, I’m going to.

I am, of course, not just talking about LGBT youth. But I can speak from experience that maybe the greatest moment in any gay man’s life is that moment of recognition, knowing conclusively that you’re not alone. It’s liberating. That’s what I want any teen considering suicide to realize.

Never pass up a chance to tell someone who’s being bullied that they’re not alone. Never stop reaching out. We can do something. And we will.

MEAN a second time around

This show is so close to my heart for so many different reasons. The first time I read the script, I beamed and flushed at the familiarity, and at times the script literally quoted me from an interview that happened randomly during YPC's Cattle Call in 2010, by Rita Cannon. On being teased and put down because of more than a few physical traits: "I had to learn to accept what people were saying about me and just deal with it. I turned them into truths about myself, like if they said your legs are crooked, or your hair is too long and ugly" I would apologize for my appearance, thinking that it was my fault that I looked the way I did. My first impression was Sweet! My story got in! Oh wow! This one did too? Huh, this scene too....Wow, this is the email I sent Rita, that one night...

Then I started to really pay attention to the actors involved in the scenes that came from my interview with the playwright, and the level of honesty that they put into their performance. I watched them play out my memories like some twisted little nightmare, and I couldn't put my finger on how I exactly felt about the situation. Sure this is "My" story, but then again......not really. It's everyone's story. It relates to so many people, to so many kids. I used to think that the 4th grade through 8th grade was absolute HELL for me...and now I know that it wasn't just me, it was (and is) something that relates to too many. One kid calls gives me a nickname in the 4th grade (for all I know he was the only one who actually called me the name), and it sticks with me at the age of 26. I'm now happily married to my amazing husband, who tells me I'm beautiful all the time.......and I still think of that nickname. Drool Face.

So why on earth would I want to return to a show like this? And so soon? Didn't we just perform this in February? Why on earth would I come back to a script as personal as this? Not to spoil anything, a particular scene (performed by the amazing Maren Carter) just kills me every time I see it, because I'm so embarrassed by what I allowed to happen to me, when i was a kid. Perhaps I even encouraged it, because I wanted attention. Some girl who was mean to me asked me to alter my appearance, and I did, just to see what would happen. Besides the fact that I'll never be able to let these stories go, being able to speak out through a dramatic musical this directly...Who would ever pass up that opportunity? I thank everyone who was interviewed for MEAN, for being brave enough to share your stories with people who either can't or won't.

Mean--Again

We are in rehearsals for Mean. No this is not a flashback--we are doing Mean again!!

Some might ask why--didn't you just do that show?! And the answer is yes we did just do that show--BUT we had such a tremendous response that we knew we needed to bring it back this season. Bullying is such a HUGE issue facing our schools and communities.

Over 160,000 kids are victims of being bullied each year and no longer feel safe in their own schools. And though we have sent the message that "it gets better"--I know this community can do so much more.

Its time for all of us to raise our voices...its time for all of us to push up our sleeve and get busy making a change...its time for all of us to stand up and demand that that all kids no matter who they are...no matter where they go to school have the RIGHT to be safe.

Be a part of making this change happen in your own school or community.

Hope to see you at Mean October 5-October 23 2011.

BE BOLD...Be Broadway!!

Congrats to Seth Numrich and Stephen Anthony-both YPC alums and both are in the Tony award winning "WarHorse". Wow!!! How amazing is that?!!! I can't imagine how fun this must be for both of these very talented and hard- working actors. I'm sure like many young people involved at YPC they probably joked around and talked what it would be like when they both would be on Broadway--but it really really did happen for them. But what makes this so AMAZING is that they both are in the same show.

I hope that I will have the opportunity to see them both. Either way--we salute this grand accomplishment!! We are here to "Shout- Out" to the universe all of your "wonder" and 'light'--"SHINE-ON!!" "SHINE-ON"!!!!!

We Are Blessed!

Written by Jill Jensen Coghlan, YPC Board Vice-President

Today, I watched the ceremony at Ground Zero and the Pentagon.  I reflected on the last 10 years of suffering and loss that many endured and cannot imagine the hole in many hearts that will never be filled.  In the midst of it all was the Survivor Tree.  It made me realized that We are Blessed!  We are blessed with freedom and opportunity to explore and challenge ourselves and each other.

We are Blessed at Youth Performance Company because we have a vision and a future that includes impacting young people and showing them their potential.  I am blessed because I had the tremendous opportunity to work with an awesome Co-chair and lead Cattle Call 2011.  People opened up their hearts and their wallets because they shared the vision of YPC.  YPC is a place where young artists can be bold, explore their strengths, try new things, challenge themselves, and express themselves without ridicule or shame.  It is a home to many, many kids where they can let the struggles of their days go and open their hearts, minds, and voices and create awesome, beautiful music, dance, and theatre.  We are blessed to have Jacie Knight and her vision to guide us in all that we do.  I am Blessed to be a part of an impactful board that can implement that vision and make it happen. 

Today, I looked at all that we are accomplishing at Youth Performance Company.  We are recognized in the community for providing quality theatre.  We have won Two Ivey Awards for the impactful work that we do.  We have had recognition from Mayor R.T. Rybak and from Rock the Cause.  We have some tremendous work yet to come.  With the premiere of The Boys Show on Monday, May 16^th at the Riverview Theatre FREE for all to attend at 5pm, the last in our series of plays this year-Schoolhouse Rock Live-May 5-22^nd, and all of the Summer Classes that provide us the opportunity to impact young lives.  Today, YPC announced the 23rd season for 2010-2011.  Twenty-three Seasons!!  We are bringing back “MEAN” by popular demand and continuing to take on challenging topics that impact today’s youth.  We are Blessed that we can be a part of this wonderful organization.

Remember:

     “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world” -Harriet Tubman

Raise your voice for YPC and join us!

Make it a Great Day!

     

Life Without a Garage by YPC Board Member, Kari Xiong

Life without a Garage

This morning, I was feeling rushed… frustrated that I couldn’t find car keys, frustrated trying to organize my work bag, frustrated thinking about the high volume of work waiting for me: planning committee meetings, phone messages, emails begging for thorough, intellectual responses, etc., etc. Finally, I’m ready, and set to go.

I stepped outside, truly pleased to hear birds chirping and feeling the sun rays pouring down. Oh, how quickly did I become frustrated again! I shook my head with irritation as I threw my material possessions from my hands into my car and began scrapping a thick layer of ice from the windshield, rear window, and all 4-door windows.  I am positive the neighbors heard every single scrape as I scrapped up and down with fierce aggression... I can't believe I am still scrapping ice off of my car in the month of April! At that moment, my thought: I wish I had a garage. I pretended as if having a garage for my car would solve all of my problems. If only had this, if only I had that…

It took only a minute or so to complete the scrapping process, and soon enough, I was on my way. As a matter of fact, I completely forgotten about my dramatic morning ordeal within minutes and just
recalled it as I began this blog post.

The truth is drama can be funny; having a garage can make morning routines run more smoothly, and wishing for it all is not uncommon. We all do, well maybe, most of us.

YPC can use more volunteers, a bigger space, more Facebook friends, more money, a GARAGE! We’re open to improvements, but, what we have now is still pretty, darn good when we have staff who cares, board members who give, and talent that leaves the audience sitting in amazement.

Sometimes, when we don’t have the luxury of a garage, we learn to live without one. We learn to think differently, to be creative… to be resilient.  Our flaws, our weakness, and our “lack of” become our
strength, our skills, and our gift.

It’s true…I’ll be okay without a garage.

How did you spend "Rock the Cause for Youth Performance Company" Day??

by Kris Nugent, Board President

It was a very special day  with Mayor Rybak declaring, April 8th, "Rock the Cause for YPC" day in Minneapolis.  So how did you spend it?? 

Here are some ideas:

Glamming up for Glitterball Tonight at the Grainbelt Brewery - watching amazing bands, DJ's, and some of our very own young artists singing 60's favorites, ALL TO BENEFIT YPC!!!  We are so grateful to RTC for this amazing event!!

Taking a moment to pause, step back, and remember what makes YPC special:  brave, bold, original work that gives young artists a voice in our community that we don't often hear. 

Inviting friends and colleagues, who haven't seen a show yet and been hooked on all things YPC, to:
watch us on TPT Minnesota Originals, April 21st
come to our Spring Show SchoolHouse Rock Live where you can sing along on May 14th!!!
come to our film premier for The Boy Show on Monday, May 16th at the Riverview Theater FREE, 5pm Doors

Thinking back to your favorite YPC production moment...whether it be a song, a young artist, or a moment of a show that filled you with a feeling of pride, awe, and amazement at the clever/smart productions YPC does.   A couple of mine are:  Shelby and Sydney singing "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool" from But My Soul is Rested.  And watching the cast of The Boy Show perform the "Feelings" skit with the stuffed monkeys (you HAVE to see this!!!).  I could go on and on, there are sooooo many!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
No one else does work like this!!!  We need to celebrate it, appreciate it and do whatever we can to spread the word about it!!  So what will you do today and everyday, to celebrate all that Youth Performance Company provides to you, young artists, and to our community??  I ask all parents, board, staff, YAC and friends of YPC to engage others today who may not know who we are, and help us spread the word about this amazing place.  Thank you!