Members of the Deana's Education Theater from Boston, Massachusetts came to Boothbay Region High School on March 12 to perform a short play about the dangers of cyberbullying called “Think Twice.” The performance was made possible through a grant from New Hope for Women.

The story slowly unfolds through a conversation the character Melody, a junior in high school, is having with an authority figure (who seems to be a police investigator). We learn that Melody had a rivalry with a popular girl named Margo, who kept her off the cheerleading squad and generally made her life difficult. This underage rival then got caught drinking at a college party and was removed from the squad. An anonymous Facebook page is created called the “Margo Skank Files” portraying the girl in an extremely negative light. Melody denies any affiliation with the page.

We learn that Melody has a friend called “Lisa” who keeps harassing Margo after her fall from grace. She tells Melody she is “doing her a favor.” The authority figure shows Melody a picture and asks if she knows anything about it. Melody tries to avoid the picture, running around the stage, but finally confesses that under threat from Lisa, she took the picture.

The picture shows Margo changing her clothes, and is put up on the Facebook page. Melody admits to helping with the page, which Lisa created. The authority figure tells Melody they can't get in touch with Margo, and that she, Melody, is facing criminal charges including criminal harassment and distribution of child pornography. Melody is horrified and mutters “what have I done?” as the play ends.

Afterward, the actors, Kimberly Waller and Tom Kee, had an interactive discussion with the students about the message they were conveying about cyberbullying. They talked about the lasting implications from what people post online, which can effect not only one’s current reputation and school life but also future careers. They asked students what they could do if they were a bystander to stop bullying either in person or online.

They also talked about consequences for the bully and what might happen. Students responded with getting suspended, losing the device they were using to get online, and having a mark on their permanent record. Other students said losing the right to do extracurricular activities, being banned from social media, and being passed over by employers.

When Kee asked how many students had been victims of cyberbullying, only a few raised their hands. When he asked how many had sent nasty texts or Facebook messages, many more hands went up.

Kee and Waller stressed to the students to “think before you click” and consider the impact of actions made behind the safety of a computer monitor. They also talked about online safety and only friending people who they know, and protecting passwords.

“I think we make a difference,” Waller said in an interview after the play. “This two-part strategy of performing the play and then engaging the students in a discussion focuses their attention. And as students speak up, more are willing to.”

Deana's Education Theater was founded in 1995 by the family of friends of Deana Brisbois, a victim of dating violence. They perform educational theater programs on relationship violence for all ages, from kindergarteners through college aged students. They also perform for the military and communities across the United States and overseas.