Coachella Valley Repertory to Hold Auditions for High School Students About Bullying
Haley Meberg
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ)- Coachella Valley Repertory is set to host auditions open to high school students for “Power Play,” a one-act musical on the dangers of bullying.
The play opens on October 7 and will run through October 10 with a showing at 10:30 a.m., in acknowledgement of National Bullying Prevention Month.
“Power Play” is a one-act story written by playwright Lindsay Price including five characters navigating intense moments that involve bullying, verbal abuse, and a school shooting.
“Violence is all about power, so is high school,” Price says. “The message hits hard — bullying, verbal abuse, and the horror of a school shooting. School violence is real and happens every day.”
The play is being directed by Howard Shangraw, the director of the conservatory and youth programs at CV Repertory.
Auditions for the play will be held at CV Rep August 26 and 29 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive.
CV Repertory says actors should be prepared with a short monologue and be ready to read from the script provided at the audition.
The theater group is looking for five high school students to play the characters Bitter, Belly, Brawn, Beauty and Breaker.
“At least one in five kids is bullied and 13% of today’s tweens – nine to 12-year-olds – have reported bullying in school or online,” Shangraw says. “Bullying is responsible for youth suicides and school shootings. With such compelling and honest storytelling as in Power Play, the participation of high school students from the Coachella Valley and support from our schools and bullying-prevention organizations, we can make progress.”
The play will be free to watch for students, with free bus transportation provided to students who attend from each of their schools. Each performance is set to have a follow-up Q&A from the cast, crew, CV Repertory Artistic Director Adam Karsten and Howard Shangraw.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.