22. 8/10- From an Anonymous Former Student

up until june of 2019, i was a student at Stage Right. i participated in about 3 or 4 shows with them, and my experiences each time were miserable. my first show i did, was Hairspray jr, and on my opening night, an awful rumor spread about me that i was doing inappropriate actions with the older kids, who i didn’t even know. it quickly spread backstage, and got back to me. i had a panic attack when i found out, and got in trouble for being too dramatic by the older kids backstage and by one of the directors.

my next show, i ended up fumbling one of my lines, and got yelled at immediately as i walked off stage for ruining the show, and that i should be embarrassed.

after that i ended up moving into the teen group, which i soon would learn, would put me through some of the worst experiences i’ve ever had. my first show in the teen division, i would call my mom crying from the bathroom everyday, because i was being bullied by the another student who was close to the Artistic Director and her friends. it would go as far as to having videos taken of me behind my back, and having to sit by myself outside and eat lunch, because they had started rumors about me that everyone believed. the pain and the heartbreak that i have when i think about these memories haunts me.

i was told that SR was a safe space to express myself and to be authentically free. i wasn’t aware that “your child is now going to be bullied for 4 years until she ends up having to quit the thing she loves doing most” was written in the fine print. :/