Youth play takes on bullies, empowers kids

BY CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK | WEST HAWAII TODAY

Eleven-year-old Melina Ramirez knows how powerful a play can be.

In about a month, she and 12 other members of the PVA Keiki Club wrote “Get Fit,” a play about staying true to yourself, standing up to peer pressure, ignoring other people’s insults, stopping bullying, making changes and being healthier.

A standing ovation and waves of cheers from a roughly 75-member audience ended their first-ever performance of it Wednesday evening inside the Konawaena Elementary School cafeteria. The approximately 20-minute play was part of an anti-bullying event, organized by the school’s Family Focus Committee.

“It was awesome seeing people in the audience dance along with us, cheer and yelled back at the characters,” Ramirez said. “You can tell they listened, understood the message, and it touched everyone’s heart. I felt empowered.”

The PVA Keiki Club is one of the programs offered during the afterschool A+ Program at Konawaena Elementary.

“Many of our schools have had to cut or reduce spending in the arts. So, afterschool programs like this one allow kids to paint, draw, perform, play music, dance and have a creative outlet to express themselves,” said Valerie Kalahiki, A+ Program coordinator. “The kids in this club are so energetic and talented. This play shows them that they can shine in anything.”

Uma Murillo, a substitute teacher and the club’s director, said she gives the participants the power to create their own performance usually around a healthy topic, such as getting fit, losing weight, quitting smoking or saying no to drugs.

The children write the plays, choose the songs, develop dances, as well as create any artistic backdrops, props or costumes. They got some help with the music and choreography from Murillo, Dave Ojeda, bass player of the band Johnny Shot, and Katie Moore, a local Zumba fitness instructor.

“Get Fit” tells the story of a group of overweight boys, known as “The Heavies,” being bullied by Ally, a popular, but mean girl, and her follower friends at a fictitious elementary school. As the story unfolds, Ally begins to recognize herself as being a bully and “The Heavies,” with a little encouragement from a friendly classmate named Roxie, make positive lifestyle changes.

The script started out as a way of “giving a voice” to students who are bullied so often and unfairly because they are easily spotted in the crowd. But the club wanted to do more than just show the pain of bullying. Instead it showed the roles everyone can play in starting and stopping it, said Ramirez, the play’s lead author.

The girls in the club developed the characters and the storyline while the boys selected the music and helped transform some of the songs. For instance, LMFAO’s popular song, “I’m Sexy And I Know It,” became “I’m Fluffy And I Know It.” Including this tune, sung by The Heavies, was important because “it shows you can stand up proud and be who you are, and it doesn’t really matter what people think of you,” said 11-year-old Keawe Strance.

Standing up for oneself is something Strance hoped the audience learned from the play.

“One of the messages is recognizing the power of you. Maybe, that’s deciding to say no to bullying and finally telling someone like an adult who can help about the teasing,” he said. “Or, maybe it’s realizing you’re not living a health lifestyle, finally trying to work out and beginning to eat better. It’s realizing, ‘This is for me.’ You can be your own hero.”

Being in the club and playing one of The Heavies helped Trajan Satta-Ellis, 10, overcome his shyness.

“I used to be very shy because I was afraid of what people might say or think about me. This play helped me be more confident and get out of my shell,” he said. “I realized I’m capable of doing all sorts of things like acting and singing. I hope our play gives people the courage to do things they didn’t think they could do.”

Several club members said they hoped to perform “Get Fit” for their entire school.

“I think our play can make a difference. Bullying is something that needs to be talked about because it can happen anywhere and at anytime. If it does happen, you never forget that time. It’s also something that doesn’t have to happen,” said 10-year-old Kaui Navas. “I think it would be cool to perform our play in front of the entire school because kids spend a lot of time listening to adults, but seeing other kids perform on stage and talk about these things can mean more. It can be more powerful.”

clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com