School can be tough, and kids can be cruel. Monkey Baa tackles the subject of bullying with an adaptation of Susanne Gervay’s I Am Jack, based on a true story. For the 95th performance of this dynamic one-hander, Year 3 and 4 school children from Greenwich Public School filled the small theatre at Sydney’s Seymour Centre.

The subject of bullying is tricky: How do you give kids the tools to deal with a bully, or as in the case of Jack, a gang of them led by a potent ringleader? Seeking help is essential, but risks further isolating the victim and cementing their reputation as a ‘dobber’ and ‘do-gooder’. When a child is cowed and scared to draw further attention to themselves, the problem can go on and on, slipping under the radar of both teachers and parents. Many adults bear the scars of seemingly innocuous schoolyard shenanigans.

Tim McGarry is engaging and lovable as 11-year-old Jack, trying to find a way to speak to his Mum about his problem, while she is preoccupied …