Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 16:54:21 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 10/27/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. CT: Op-ed piece on gay parents and schools 2. CA: "Cootie Shots": elementary school theatre celebrating diversity; Governor Davis taking heat for signing AB 537 ============================================================================== New Haven Register, September 22, 1999 Long Wharf-40 Sargent Dr., New Haven, CT, 06511 (Fax 203-865-7894 ) (E-MAIL: letters@nhregister.com ) ( http://www.ctcentral.com/ ) FORUM: Straight world must accept gay parents By John D. Allen Nothing makes straight people more uncomfortable with gay people than when a subject involves children. Even though most know that homosexuality is not contagious, wherever children are involved, somehow deep-seated prejudices about gay people surface, even among enlightened straight allies. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] John D. Allen is the founder of the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center, P.O. Box 8914, New Haven 06532. ================================================================================= Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 08:55:34 -0700 From: BobLatham@aol.com Subject: Tolerance/Diversity Theater for K-6 Tolerance/Diversity Theater for K-6 by Norma Bowles (Fringe Benefits' Theatre's Artistic Director Norma Bowles can be reached by---calling: (310) 657-8149 or faxing: (310) 657-8149 or e-mailing: normabowles@earthlink.net.) Fringe Benefits Theatre will be in the San Francisco Bay Area December 7, 8, 9 and 10 to share our production of COOTIE SHOTS: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry with local elementary schools. We have two dozen short plays and songs (over 2 hours of material in all) designed to help kids find constructive ways deal with bullying and name-calling and to begin to appreciate diversity! Our production was created by a team of theatre artists (several of whom work on Broadway), educators, parents and youth. COOTIE SHOTS has been enthusiastically received by audience members of all ages at the L.A. County Children's Museum, South Coast Repertory's Young Conservatory, and at teachers' conferences and elementary schools. The Core Curriculum director of the L. A. Unified School District has recommended the show to LAUSD element ary school teachers. We can perform either in a school's auditorium, cafetorium or multi-purpose room, etc... Depending on the age group for which we are performing (for example k-to-2, 3-to-6... etc...) we present a different selection of our short pieces. Our shows include a good deal of interaction with the young people in the audience, and can last from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. The cost is $400.00 per show. Below is a brief description of COOTIE SHOTS and an annoted list of most of the pieces of which it is comprised. COOTIE SHOTS Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry A fun and constructive way to help children deal with bullying, name-calling and sissy-baiting. COOTIE SHOTS is a delicious assortment of plays, songs and interactive performance pieces that promote tolerance and celebrate diversity by presenting role models of people of all ethnicities, classes, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, religions, shapes and sizes. It is a light-hearted and incredibly fun show for young audiences (Kindergarten-to-6th grade). Think Marlo Thomas' Free To Be... You and Me! for the 21st Century! Preview performances of COOTIE SHOTS are receiving rave reviews! Educators and parents who saw the show in Orange County, Los Angeles and Long Beach responded: "Super!" "Excellent" "The group was absolutely wonderful and touching." "Thank you! The plays were so well written! Very entertaining and at children's level." "I would recommend this experience for all schools that would like to help their students confront and deal with stereotypes." Fourth graders at Murray Elementary School wrote us thank you letters saying: "My favorite part was when I got to go up and talk to Steve and tell him not to pick on Mark." "I learned that to call people names is not cool." "I thought all of you guys were funny, nice, cool, kind and fun!" COOTIE SHOTS is a Fringe Benefits production. Fringe Benefits is an educational theatre company with an 8-year track record of helping school-age youth enter into constructive dialogue on issues of tolerance and diversity. Members include educators, therapists, parents, theatre artists and youth. Grant monies are available to fund performances of COOTIE SHOTS at the first 20 schools that book the show! If you are interested in bringing COOTIE SHOTS to your school or community center, contact Norma Bowles, Artistic Director at (310) 657-8149 or at normabowles@earthlink.net COOTIE SHOTS Brief Descriptions of Some of the Short Plays and Songs Families Ode to Parents: Beethoven's Ode to Joy with new lyrics, celebrating all kinds of loving families. The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans: A stage-adaptation of the children's classic. Doing the Right Thing: a play about how the Gutierrez family stands together to fight discrimination. Big Love: a Dr. Seussian celebration of all different types of families. Sol Kelley-Jones: an articulate and engaging 10 year old girl talks about life with her two moms. Uncle Constantin: a Latino youth talks about the star of his family reunions - his favorite Uncle, Constantin. Stereotypes and Discrimination Snooty Patooty: a comical story about a young boy who learns a valuable lesson about name-calling. That Race Place: a blind man, his Latina neighbor and an Asian woman have potentially life-changing encounter. All the Adams in the World: an autistic boy uses the words of his favorite cartoon characters to reach his tormentors. Double Dutch?!: while jumping rope and tossing a football, four kids get past gender stereotypes and name-calling. My Friend Is Blue: a pop song emphasizing that "it's what's deep inside that matters more than anything." La Peluca de Su Mama: A Latino boy is mocked and teased by his classmates for trying on his mother's wig. Following Your Own Path Mother Nature: while baking cookies, Mother Nature shows us how wonderful and varied humans can be. It Takes All Kinds: a calypso song celebrating 'all kinds' of kids. The Parable of the Stimples: a Seussian tale about a boy who gets discriminated against for making funny noises. Rapunzel: in this humorous version of the story, Rapunzel rebels against 'Teen Magazine' prescriptions for girls. In Mommy's High Heels a boy's song about an imaginary kingdom where no one is ever teased for being different. Moving: a Dr. Seussian celebration of diversity and of liking yourself exactly as you are. Historical Miss Liberty: the Statue of Liberty humorously describes the rights and liberties she symbolizes. Four Heroes: kids share stories about Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez & Harvey Milk. Courage: a song about a boy who learns the importance of tolerance and inclusion from his history class. It Takes Us to Make the U.S.A.: a song celebrating all the walks of life in which we find gay and lesbian people. Our Own Drum: Gilbert and Sullivan-esque song, that catalogues gay and lesbian heroes from around the world. ================================================================================= Riverside Press-Enterprise, October 6, 1999 3512 14th St., Riverside, CA, 92501 (Fax 909-782-7630 ) (E-MAIL: letters@pe.net ) ( http://www.pe.net/ ) Recall of Davis urged Rally in Riverside opposes gay rights laws Mark Petix, The Press-Enterprise RIVERSIDE -- About 200 people gathered in Riverside's downtown mall Tuesday for a lunchtime rally demanding the recall of Gov. Davis for approving legislation described as pro-homosexual and anti-family. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================= Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/