“Monsters” – Anti-Bullying, Anti-Violence, Anti-Racism Play for Youth Performed by Youth at The Scotiabank Dance Centre

“Here be monsters”, ancient maps are said to have warned unwary travelers venturing too near the edges of the unknown, and there will be monsters indeed at the premiere performance of “Monsters”, a new transdisciplinary musical theatre work by MISCELLANEOUS Productions, October 6 and 7 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre’s Faris Family Studio Theatre.

The monsters in question are those, real and imagined, encountered by a cast of Vancouver youth as they explore the concept of ‘monsters as found in culturally diverse, historical, pre-modern, Indigenous and traditional storytelling, as well as futuristic monsters in popular culture. “Monsters” integrates these

stories with the performers’ personal experiences of bullying or being bullied — the monsters they have encountered, and the monsters they find within themselves.

Loosely based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, “Monsters” is a strongly anti-bullying, anti-violence, anti-racism play designed for young audiences aged 12 an older, and performed by youth, exploring how and why a community creates and supports a ‘monster’, how collusion functions and how people are often attracted to individuals with loud, brash, forceful or aggressive personalities but are unaware of how incredibly damaging they can be.