New Family Musical Delivers A Friend-Strong Punch
“The Friend Strong Musical, IT’S EASY!” debuts on Sept. 16 for a ten-show run through October 8th at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington. This NEW family musical produced by See The Wish/Onstage is about the power of friendship, what to do about bullying, and how, in every moment, the choices we make can change the future and the lives of others.
Targeted especially for kids in grades 4-8, the show takes place in one day in the life of 6th grade classmates at Goodwin Middle School where bullies make life miserable, bystanders stay quiet and victims are many. A frequent victim, 6th Grader Jed Travis only wants to know if his life will get better. With help from a futuristic cell phone app, a wise custodian shows Jed and one unwitting bully how what they say and do changes the course of their futures and the lives of others… is it too late to change the heartbreaking fate of another bullied classmate?
The show’s workshop debut in 2015 earned Outstanding New Musical and Outstanding Ensemble nominations from the National Youth Arts Awards. Director January Akselrad, Composer and Co-Playwright with Jennifer Jo Young, returns to direct this first professional run featuring 19 memorable musical numbers and an ensemble cast of 28 boys and girls and 17 adults.
The anti-bullying “speak up, reach out and be a friend” message of the musical inspired the development of the national Be-A-Friend Project, a collaborator in this new production. Since 2015, the Be-A-Friend Project has delivered over 3,500 letters of peer support to severely bullied youths across the country to help them stay strong.
“It’s Easy!” Tickets are on sale now at the Irvington Town Hall Theater online box office: www.irvingtontheater.com. For more information, visit www.seethewish.com.
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