THEATRE + COMEDY

The Grand 1894 Opera House presents Wired, produced by Green Thumb Theatre, Friday, November 12, 2010, at 10am. In a time of being constantly wired in, this new play examines the alarming rise of cyber-bullying.

Damien is unnoticed in his cliquish grade, and that's just what this shy, self-proclaimed "goof" prefers. Damien is transformed into a cooler version of himself through online role-playing games, social networking sites, and a multitude of virtual friends. But when Damien has a seemingly innocent run-in with a girl at school, he finds himself in the cross-hairs of a humiliating cyber bullying campaign. Just because it's virtual it doesn't make it less real. The online alternate world he created to escape is now something he needs to escape from.

In a time of constantly being wired in, effortless photo snapshots and uploads from camera phones, and where conversations aren't taking place face to face, this new play examines the alarming rise of cyber-bullying, where cruelty can be administered instantaneously and anonymously. Bullying in the schoolyards has now been replaced by the simple press of the return button, causing apathy and disconnects to arise -- ironically -- from being virtually connected.

Green Thumb Theatre creates and produces plays that explore social issues relevant to the lives of children, youth and young adults. We provide theatre that celebrates the language and stories of today's generation and culture to stimulate empathy, debate and critical thinking.

Green Thumb Theatre was founded in 1975 to develop original Canadian plays for young audiences. Since that time, Green Thumb has emerged as one of Canada's leading theatre companies for young people, producing excellent material for audiences and artists, and contributing to the growing body of work evolving in this field. Green Thumb demonstrates a new excitement and potential for children's theatre.

After more than 30 years, Green Thumb Theatre is still at the forefront of the Theatre in Education movement, using the emotional impact of live performance to educate and empower young people. We challenge our audience to re-examine their beliefs and prejudices and to define their feelings and aspirations.

Green Thumb believes that young Canadians face the same scope of issues, problems, concerns and interests that adults do; however, many young people are disempowered from effectively confronting difficult or complex situations, a result of societal, systemic or cultural beliefs and discriminations. As Canadian society diversifies it is more important than ever that people respect each other and each other's differences.