Being Brave is about resilience, emotional health, coping with loss and change, being a victim of bullying and bouncing back when things go wrong.

When children are unable to cope with moving house, a family break-up, being bullied or losing a family member, it can have a huge impact on their behaviour and wellbeing. Being Brave gives children strategies to deal with their emotions through good communication, persistence and positive self-talk – making them more resilient.

Fly is a young boy whose parents have separated… He misses his dad desperately and tries to be brave by keeping his emotions ‘bottled up’. He enters a radio competition to find the bravest person in the world, so he can win a trip to see his dad and a new cage for his sick birds.

During his search, Fly meets various people who have all been brave in their own way and for different reasons. He also learns a lot about himself. Every child will relate to or gain understanding from each carefully crafted scenario. Ishar has had to leave her dad behind and come to a new country and Tim has to stand up and seek help when he is being bullied. Mikalia has to give up the rigors of ballet dancing and find a new dream and Celia comes to terms with loss in her family. Mrs Russo misses her grandson who’s moved to another city. Fly discovers that ‘being brave’ is showing feelings, sharing stories, keeping memories, accepting change and living life.

Researched and developed by school counsellor Paul Johnson, this inspiring show uses song, dance and drama to give children strategies to deal with difficult situations and make healthy choices in the future.

"Fabulous! Engaged all students, encouraging tolerance, resilience and understanding. Best I've seen!" Scotch College Junior School, SA

Highly recommended! Many laughs, understanding nods of agreement and empathy with the content. Highly interactive, a perfect performance!" Tower Street Public School, NSW

Please note: formerly "Brave Hearts".
Dedicated to Luke.

Buddies is about friendship, bullying, exclusion and alienation. It looks at the difficulties children face in the school yard growing up.

Teasing, rumours and bossy, aggressive behaviour cause division in the playground. Some children wield power and others feel confused and alienated. Buddies encourages children to create positive relationships. They will be inspired to learn the steps to being a good friend and realise the importance of being true to themselves.

As players in an exciting virtual video game, Samantha and Jimmy must cooperate to solve riddles, battle monsters and conquer the cave of calamity. Samantha is bossy and selfish, Jimmy is aggressive and tries to be the tough guy. The game sends them back to the playground to go on the greatest journey of all – the quest for true friendship.

With song, dance and lots of laughs, they learn the steps to being a good friend: help, share, say sorry, don’t hurt, stand by your friends, listen and be honest. They resist being involved in the name calling and rumours on MySpace and SMS and realise people can even feel alienated through subtle body language.
Jimmy starts to talk about his feelings and learns to control his anger. Samantha stops putting on an act and becomes confident without being bossy.

Together they realise that true friends make you feel good and allow you to be yourself!

“Enthralling! Great message – the importance of ‘getting along’ and the strength it takes just to ‘be yourself’. Congratulations!” Ayr State School, Qld

Cheap Thrills is a 1 man show that deals with making choices, risk taking, safe partying and substance abuse.

This fast-paced one-man show is about that split second when we reach a crossroad, make a choice, take a risk, and possibly change our lives forever.

Andy and his friends drink alcohol, smoke marijuana and are confused by the hormones racing around their bodies. This dangerous cocktail explodes into one dramatic incident that results in the loss of his mate Jamie.

He is surrounded by people who rely on legal and illegal drugs to cope with their problems. His sister Phoebe is killing herself with cigarettes, Dad drowns his sorrows in alcohol, Mum pops painkillers to handle stress and his girlfriend has access to ecstasy and marijuana.

Andy discovers that he does have a choice, and that the biggest risk of all is to stand up and take responsibility for his own actions.

The audience goes on an emotional roller-coaster ride with this young charismatic actor. A clever sound-scape compliments the hilarious action as Andy parodies his sister then immerses us in the harsh reality of the court case and finally, life without his friend.

A lively discussion at the conclusion of the performance allows adolescents to explore these important issues in a non-threatening way. The audience leaves the venue with a deep understanding of how their choice of friends and their own ability to make good, independent decisions could have a dramatic and lasting affect on their lives.

"Really powerful. I had no idea about the real effects of alcohol and marijuana. Your choices impact your life in a massive way. MADE A BIG IMPRESSION!" Students, Luther College, Vic

Saving Cal and Mindi looks at the issues of healthy eating habits, making good choices, getting motivated, concentration, obesity and body image.

On Arkon, Cal and Mindi live in a perfect world - then through and extraordinary twist of fate they are thrown into a world of excess.

Mindi becomes anxious, competitive about toys and brand-name clothes and talks in jingles and TV speak, while Cal is glued to the computer screen drowning in junk food. They try to escape but have lost the ability to communicate. Mindi is hyperactive and unable to concentrate, and Cal is sluggish and unmotivated.
They are slipping in obesity, depression and loneliness. Your students will help Cal and Mindi fight the Junk Food Giant and the Media Magnet, and choose what is really necessary to maintain a happy, healthy mind and body.

Students will learn why the human body craves fat and sugar and are shown the adverse effects of artificial flavouring/colouring and caffeine. 'Saving Cal & Mindi' exposes the methods the media use to trick them into buying junk food and believing they are not skinny or beautiful enough i.e. market research, slogans, unrealistic images and cool music. They will begin to see the difference between “want” and “need”. It will be very clear that we need to be satisfied with our body shape and personal possessions and eliminate the nastiness associated with competing and comparing ourselves to others.

"Sensational! Taught me not to eat junk food all the time, and to get up and do stuff. Best show ever!" Students - St Augustine's Primary School, Palm Beach, Qld

"Absolutely loved it! Touched on peer pressure, commercialism, healthy eating and friendship. Couldn't be better!" Belvedere Park Primary School, Vic

Sticks and Stones deals with bullying, physical aggression and learning to control your anger ie not hitting back.

DON’T be a BULLY...STOP, think, breathe, walk away.
DON’T be a TARGET...SPEAK UP, stand tall, tell someone.

When things go wrong in Toby’s life, he feels frightened or threatened, he gets all churned up inside. His body tells him to fight, his dad and other kids tell him to fight, even TV shows and video games tell him to fight. He’s always in trouble and unhappy at home and at school.

When he meets Joe, he discovers how and why he’s formed such bad habits. He begins to understand his body (fight, flight) and when to recognize good and bad advice (if it doesn’t hurt you or others then it’s the right thing to do).

He learns to stop, breathe, put his hands in his pockets, walk away, count to ten and talk about his feelings.

When Toby decides to break the habit and take responsibility for his own actions he begins to develop positive relationships. He stands tall, becomes assertive and cooperates with other kids to create a circus routine, with acrobatics, unicycling and juggling.

"Cool! Don't fight. Speak out if you're being bullied. Solve your problems by working together. Treat others how you want to be treated. Counsellors are there if you need to talk. Say NO to bullying!" Students - Forbes Primary School, SA

Sticks and Stones deals with bullying, antisocial behaviour, physical aggression and learning to control your anger.

Two energetic young performers explore the different forms of bullying in the playground, in the street and at home. Sticks & Stones provides strategies for conflict resolution, anger management, assertiveness, and breaking the cycle of violence.

School yard scenarios are used to encourage students to have empathy for victims, and to understand that bullying of any kind is NOT ON. Don't take your anger or frustrations out on other people with your fists or your fingers on the mobile phone or keyboard.

Invading people’s personal space, name calling, taunts, homophobic and racist remarks and intimidation in person or on the internet are all illegal and have serious consequences.

Sticks & Stones uses strong sound-scape, simple costuming and props and theatre in the round to give an intimacy and immediacy to the action.

It becomes increasingly clear that the central character has developed negative patterns of behaviour through inappropriate modelling from peers, family members, TV and video games. He is also struggling against the hormones and adrenalin in his body and the “fight, flight” response.

The hard hitting narrative is punctuated with circus skills and juggling to demonstrate co-operation and the use of control through breath, focus and channelling energy into positive pursuits.

WINNER of the Australian Violence Prevention Award. Seen and enjoyed by over 1.5 million students!

"Awesome. Educational. Bullying affects people mentally, physically and emotionally. Treat everyone equally and respect people. If you bully people they don't respect or trust you." Students, St Joseph's East Gosford, NSW

"Brilliant! A succinct, professional presentation of school life affecting students and teachers. Thanks you!" Grafton High School, NSW
 

The Human Race is our newest show dealing with bullying, values, resilience, self-esteem and respect.

The Human Race challenges children to find out what qualities we need to create positive relationships at school, in the community and ultimately as citizens of the world. It gives simple strategies for building skills in conflict resolution, problem solving, assertiveness and having empathy for others.

Dunc’s family tree reads like the history of Australia. His loyalty, honesty and tenacity are his greatest assets but if he is to excel in all the physical, artistic and mental challenges in the human race he must overcome his low self esteem.

Deedee is strong willed, fearful and divisive and has been alienated by her “group”. She is horrified when she has to enter the race with Dunc, “the daggiest kid in the whole school”.

When they discover ways to unite their strengths, empathise and accept each other’s differences they progress to the next round. Other competitors who cheat and undermine each other begin to fall behind. In the spectacular, hilarious final moments of the race, Dunc learns to stand tall and be proud of his heritage and makes Deedee realise that the only losers are the people who are “too cool” to try. They win because they are resourceful, show compassion, play by the rules and do their best to reach their potential as Human Beings.

“Best I’ve seen! Excellent content and script, totally corresponds to DET values and attitudes. Entertaining reinforcement of bullying issues and respect for others and yourself. Children were glued to the performance- 10/10!” Alstonville Public School, NSW

"Highly recommended! Kept all staff and students totally focused and entertained. Loved the emphasis and reinforcement of values we are discussing in class. Thoroughly enjoyable!" Scorseby Primary School, Vic

"Highly recommended! Entertaining, professional presentation delivering the message of respect, resilience and acceptance of others through drama, dance and music. So engaging for students and teachers. 10/10" Mount Ousley Public School, NSW

The Hurting Game is about Harassment, peer pressure and alienation and the different challenges students face as they are growing up.

A live performance that takes a daring look at the hurtful games we play to give ourselves a false sense of power and belonging.

Samantha’s group spread rumours, give death stares and alienate her. She becomes obsessed with body image and dieting. She is constantly competing with other girls in the media, in the playground and on social websites.

Desperate to fit in at school, Jimmy succumbs to peer pressure and becomes the tough guy - harassing and bullying other students with homophobic remarks, deliberately failing maths and playing the fool. He gets involved in binge drinking and puts himself in dangerous situations.

Finally, one explosive confrontation forces them to realise that unrealistic expectations and peer pressure can lead to destructive behaviour.

The Hurting Game is an entertaining way to show students how ongoing negative relationships affect self-esteem. The show is action packed, humourous and episodic engaging even the toughest audience.

"Fantastic! Brilliantly put together. Age appropriate, clear positive messages." Emerald State High School, Qld

"Highly recommended! Actors were prompt. Completed the performance with excellent questioning skills. They were also happy to take questions from year 8 audience. Excellent hardcopy of worksheets that can be utilized in peer support sessions on anti-bullying. Captivated throughout the presentation." Fairvale High School, NSW

"Inspirational! Relevant and absorbing. A great production!" Kuranda State High School, Qld

The Magic Words looks at values, respect and general rude aggressive behaviour. It’s about not pushing in, waiting your turn, saying please and thankyou, and saying sorry if you do something wrong.

Rolf is constantly on detention, has no friends and although Mum and Dad give him everything he wants, he is extremely unhappy. When he has to co-operate with a classmate, Rhiannon, to finish a project they are rude and aggressive.

Their bad feelings begin to radiate through the universe creating havoc on other planets. An alien spacecraft crashes to Earth and Rolf meets Zanna, who is on a special mission to find the secret to happiness.
When he pursues some-one he knows will be able to provide the secret to happiness, Rolf begins to see the direct result of his selfish, obnoxious behaviour. Mrs McKay is appalled at his lack of manners, he bullies the library monitor and insults the cricket coach.
When he smiles, waits his turn, says “excuse me”, “please”, and “thank-you”, tells the truth and considers other people feelings, a whole new world opens up to him. Through one painful lesson after another Rolf and Zanna discover the secret to happiness is giving and receiving respect, feeling proud of your actions, and cooperating to reach a goal.

A spectacular finale with singing and dancing from around the world reinforces the message that wherever you are, using the magic words changes people lives.

"Inventive, appealing, 100% enjoyment! Big effect on my students who have issues with manners, respect and self esteem!" Broadbeach State School, Qld

Cyber bullying seems to be under cover and anonymous.

WHO’S responsible?

WHAT drives bullies to send that nasty message, post that hurtful comment or embarrassing photo on Facebook or MySpace?

WHY are some people more likely to be a target and why is it hard for victims to be assertive or resilient?
WHERE can they go if or when they are being bullied?

HOW can we stop it happening?

A cleverly crafted narrative allows students to examine these questions AND their own behaviour.

"Sensational! Captivating. Students were mesmerised, script was right on to the whole bullying, manipulation, control, power, loneliness and isolation issues. Confronting and very relevant, especially mobile phone and cyber bullying. 10/10!" Newcomb Secondary College, Vic

"Highly recommended! Terrific comment on and awareness of mobile phone and cyber bullying. Supported Drama, PDHPE (self esteem and bullying). 10/10!" Camden High School NSW

"Students connected with content and themes of cyber bullying. Actors were great! Supported 'Life Skills' and HPE curriculum." Blackwater State High School, Qld


 

Wired is a challenging and confronting play that will complement MindMatters, Crossroads and relevant PDHPE curricula.

Wired looks at the physiology and causes of stress and depression associated with the pressure of exams, relationships, and everyday life. Two adolescents with extremes of behaviour, metabolism, hormones, goals and perspectives are spiraling in different directions – one into STRESS and OVERLOAD, the other into DEPRESSION.

When their lives collide, they are forced to change course. The audience had the opportunity to see the characters play out their options:
• depression and substance abuse
• counselling and the possibility of medication.
• stress and self-medication with stimulants such as caffeine
• physical and emotional balance through exercise, avoiding stimulants and other drugs, good communication and positive self talk.

This sophisticated script is performed by two talented young professional actors and uses a clever revolving set and contemporary music to instantly engage the most cynical audience.

Wired has been tailor-made for year 11 and 12 students and stimulates great discussion about the difficulties they face during this stage of their lives.
Wired has been tailor-made for year 11 and 12 students and stimulates great discussion about the difficulties they face during this stage of their lives.

"Fantastic! Thought-provoking. Well worth students missing an hour of HSC class to deal with these issues!" Davidson High School, NSW

"Excellent! Perfectly delivered and precisely tackled prevalent issues that VCE students face. Highly recommended, well done. Thanks!" Northcote High School, Vic