Fighting bullying through song

When Kinneret Day School student Isabel Lipskar was searching for a show to audition for, one in particular caught her eye: “It’s Easy! An Anti-Bullying Musical.”

“I really wanted to be in it, because I don’t like bullying. It kind of scares me when I see it,” said the fourth-grade student. 

Though a musical may seem like an unconventional way to tackle a serious subject, co-writers January Akselrad and Jennifer Young felt it was an ideal way to reach young performers and audience members. 

“It doesn’t sugarcoat the issues,” Ms. Akselrad said at a dress rehearsal at The Riverdale Y on Jan. 28. 

The two educators are co-presidents of “See the Wish,” a company that creates products to educate students through musical theater. Teaming up with The Y’s performing arts group, the Riverdale Rising Stars, the company’s goal was to show a realistic take on three classroom archetypes: bullies, victims and bystanders. 

“It is not trying to change the bullies. If that happens, that’s great,” said Ms. Akselrad, who wrote the show’s music and lyrics in just six weeks. “What it’s trying to communicate is that bystanders can be allies. You can speak up, reach out, be a friend and help.”

The show centers on a class of fifth-grade students and jumps from their elementary school days to a high school reunion. As Riverdalian Colin Thoman, 12, explained, the play balances the harsh realities and consequences of bullying with lighter, more humorous material.

“If you look at the statistics, it’s really frightening,” said the seventh-grade student, who plays a bully in the show.

He added he was disturbed by some of the scenes he and the other bullies performed.

“It’s kind of shocking. Some of the stuff they do is really bad,” Colin said. 

Isabel, meanwhile, plays a character on the other side of the spectrum: a victim of bullying. Acting as “Tina,” a girl on the basketball team who gets bullied by another girl, Zoey, because of her height, was difficult at times.

“It’s kind of hard to see how it would feel,” she said.