Seattle Children’s Theatre and Kaiser Permanente present a ‘Free Community Day, the world premiere of "Ghosted," "Above Between Below" and Social Emotional Learning workshops.
Now entering a second year of a partnership with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program, Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT) presents a one-day community event where patrons can attend performances of two touring productions- the world premiere of Ghosted by Trista Baldwin and a performance of Above Between Below by Ramon Esquivel, which has toured for the past year to 22,000 students and 2,100 Teachers in Washington State. Both Ghosted and Above Between Below focus on social and emotional learning and are designed to travel across Washington state. Both of these original productions will be performed free of charge on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Developed by Seattle Children’s Theatre, SCT, in collaboration and consultation with SCT’s Teen Advisory Panel and Kaiser Permanente, Ghosted is part of Kaiser Permanente’s longstanding commitment to addressing the mental health issues young people experience. For more than 30 years, Kaiser Permanente has shown its dedication to improving young people’s health outcomes through theatre tours and arts-based education. In 2019, Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs will present Ghosted in high schools across the nation. SCT is proud to be a part of this world premiere.
"Ghosted" is designed to raise awareness about anxiety and depression and to build social-emotional resiliency for students in grades 9-12. According to a recent study, depressive feelings and thoughts of suicide among 10th-grade youths across Washington state have increased over the past 6 years with more than one third experiencing signs of depression and one in five considering suicide in 2016. Ghosted unfolds through a single day of high school, as four students navigate issues of friendship and honesty, leading them to share hard truths about their personal lives. Following these disclosures, the characters take the first steps toward resiliency, personal strength, and mutual support.
This world premiere production will be presented along with a performance of "Above Between Below" which follows the story of four 14-year-old middle school students as they deal with an embarrassing cellphone video gone viral, an accusation of stalking, physical intimidation and gossip. The play examines choices each of us must make every day about being a bully, a victim, a bystander or an advocate.
The community day will run both productions in tandem, offering patrons a chance to see and experience the impactful work taking place in our communities. Following the productions, SCT staff will conduct social emotional learning workshops based on the themes of the productions, which supports the (SEL) Health Education Standards and benchmarks for Washington State Public Schools in areas of mental, emotional and social health.
RSVP for free tickets.
12:30–1 p.m.: performance of "Ghosted" (recommended for grades 9–12)
1–4:30 p.m.: workshops
5–6 p.m.: performance of "Above Between Below" (recommended for grades 6–8)
