Mom, daughter explore cruelty of bullying through humor in Out of Bounds at Vilar Center

What happens when parents can’t protect their kids from the cruelty of bullying? On Feb. 1 and 2, the Supporting The Arts Reaching Students (STARS) brings Out of Bounds to the Vilar Performing Arts Center — a hilarious yet thought-provoking look at how cyber bullying affects both parents and children.

Told through dual perspectives of mom and daughter, Out of Bounds weaves together video, comic books and interviews to tell the stories of kids stuck on the outside and the adults who feel powerless to help them. All shows are free and take place Monday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

“This stunning play, crafted from real-life stories, is designed to not only bring this burgeoning problem out of the shadows, but to spur a community dialogue seeking solutions to a very real problem that can haunt victims all their lives,” wrote critic Diana Nollen in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Out of Bounds tells two stories to audiences: Feb. 1 is a full-length public performance geared towards family audiences, parents and teachers and tells the story of single mom Allison who spends an entire school year trying to fight her daughter’s bullies and her own childhood demons.

The Feb. 2 show, also a full-length performance, portrays the same story, focusing on the point of view of 14-year-old Amy and her peers. These performances are recommended for students from 5^th grade to 9^th grade, family audiences, teachers, principals, parents and youth workers.

Out of Bounds is brought to the VPAC through STARS, which is a series of performances offered to promote artistic, educational and cultural enrichment to local students with in-school workshops, daytime shows at the theatre and Q&A/talk-back sessions following each performance. Each year, the Vail Valley Foundation and the VPAC provide free transportation and tickets to more than 6,000 Eagle County students to expose them to the thrill of live performing arts.

For free tickets to the public performance or the two STARS performances, call the box office (970.845.8497/ www.vilarpac.org). The VPAC is located under the ice rink in Beaver Creek Village (68 Avondale Lane, Beaver Creek, Colorado).

For more information about STARS, contact Kim Hannold at 970.748.6652. For scheduling a school group, please send all booking requests to: stars@vvf.org.