BISB High School Student to Help Write New Huntington Theatre Production

BISB High School Student to Help Write New Huntington Theatre Production BISB Year 13 student Cheyanne Hill is an avid performing with the school theatre department and now will be working with Boston's Huntington Theatre to write the script for an anti-bullying production. BOSTON -- The subject of bullying is nothing new for most high school students. They see it first hand, or hear about it. Maybe they've even experienced it themselves. For one British International School of Boston student, the subject of bullying has taken on a new meaning: as an issue she can help do something about.

"Bullying has such an influence on people's lives," Hill said. "This will make me feel like I had a part in helping someone learn an important lesson."

BISB Year 13 student Cheyanne Hill was accepted this month to a new playwrighting workshop from Boston's well-known Huntington Theatre.

The new program, Not Waiting on the World to Change, offers students an active role in writing, acting and performing as they work alongside professional playwright, Kirsten Greenridge, to create an original play. The script will explore anti-bullying themes and use the students' perspectives to shape the plot, characters and script of the play.

Cheyanne is one of 11 students selected for the program from schools throughout Massachusetts, and she said it is an honor to be involved.

"I feel really happy that I will be able to be a part of this," she said. "Most people, even though they hear about bullying in the news, don't really know how much it affects people until someone harms themselves. I think this will be good not only to help young people better understand, but to help older people know how bullying can affect people, too."

The program will connect students with the playwright to produce a script that provides an honest look at the issue of bullying, and how to combat it, in today's schools. Students will play an active role in not only providing insight into these issues, but also in the writing of the script itself. Staged readings of the final script will be performed by a cast of local Boston actors at Huntington Theatre venues and community sites during the week of May 26-29. 

BISB theatre teacher Will Bowry said he is pleased to have one of his students involved in the new program.

"I have no doubt this program will be an excellent opportunity for Cheyanne," he said. "Not only will she work with some of Boston's top theatre professionals, but she will be an active participant in crafting a new play at the acclaimed Huntington Theatre. These series of workshops will undoubtedly broaden Cheyanne's theatrical horizons; however, it will also offer her the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students, from an array of backgrounds, in creating a piece of theatre that reflects upon the experience of being a teenager in modern-day Boston."

Cheyanne, who has always loved performing arts, said she is confident the Huntington Theatre program will also help prepare her to continue her study of theatre in college next year.

"In college, I'm going to have to take on more and be able to write independently," she said. "This will allow me to work on my writing skills and being able to express myself with my writing."

We look forward to hearing more about Cheyanne's experiences with this fantastic program!