TIGER Takes On Bullying

Plymouth State University's TIGER educational theater and New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) aired the premiere screening of their new TV program, TIGER Takes On Bullying, at the Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center in Plymouth on Thursday, Sept. 13.

TIGER Takes On Bullying is a non-profit organization celebrating a decade of helping young kids and teens cope with bullying at school and online. TIGER  (Theater Integrating Guidance, Education, and Responsibility) has reached out to over 300,000 NH school children thus far.

"When it comes to bullying, no problem is ever too small," said TIGER actor Richard Moses.

The actors of TIGER run demonstrations and come up with fun, playful, and rewarding skits that teach students different ways to deal with issues such as friendships, bullying, and where to go for help, and advice.

"I have gone to the schools and watched how children respond to these demonstrations, and hundreds of thousands of school children have been told these messages, the looks on the kids' faces are always the same wide-eyed faces after," said PSU President Sara Jayne Steen.

The half-hour premiere special was full of upbeat music, dancing, and fun-filled ways to cope with the hardships that children go through in school like bullying, and difficult situations. 

"One of the most rewarding parts about doing this is we get lots of feedback from the schools and parents reporting that students and their kids overcome bullying, and return to their happy selves again," said co-producer & artistic Director Trish Lindberg, professor of Education, and coordinator of PSU's graduate programs in Integrated Arts.

Tune in to see the pilot air on NHPTV on Wednesday, Sep 19 @ 11:30 a.m, Thursday, Sep 20 @ 5:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sep 26 @ 12:00 p.m. The goal of the project is to create a series on PBS. 

"To be able to do this at fifty-seven years old is like a dream come true," said Lindberg.

TIGER has a group of teen actors, called TIGER Teens. Their involvement allows younger kids to talk to their peers and see things from a different perspective, rather than working with adults.

"They are a group of wonderfully talented teenagers that travel to middle schools to discuss things like self esteem, body image, popularity, peer pressure--they do a great job, and the kids love them, the response is always very positive," said PSU Alumni, TIGER actress Colleen Eliason.

Schools can call and book performances with TIGER tour manager Pam Irish, as well as different workshops for students, parents, or teachers depending on their needs and issues

at tiger-psu@plymouth.edu, or call (603) 535-2647.

"We work with the district to find out what their prominent needs are, and we tailor the workshop to suit them, it is pretty personalized in terms of what we try to do given what the districts concerns are," said Lindberg.

If PSU students want to get involved with TIGER they need to contact Dr. Trish Lindberg at 603-535-2647. "She is always open to people getting involved," said President Steen.

For more information or to get involved with TIGER visit NHPTV.org or at http://www.plymouth.edu/outreach/tiger/.