Thank You for Flushing my Head in the Toilet
and other rarely used expressions
a play about bullying by Jonathan Dorf
and other rarely used expressions
a play about bullying by Jonathan Dorf
“'Thank you for flushing my head in the toilet' is not something most of us can imagine ever saying. But I hope it got your attention. Bullying needs our attention. It happens to too many people in too many places, and it wrecks too many lives. As the play says, for every Columbine, there are ten thousand people suffering in ways that no one sees, imploding on the inside. My hope is that those of you who perform this play, because you’re teens, will be able to get the attention of your peers in ways that adults can’t. If you can do that, a discussion can begin. And that, I hope, will lead to change."
—Jonathan Dorf
—Jonathan Dorf
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PRACTICAL DETAILS
Running time: 30-35 minutes. Cast Breakdown: 7+ females, 3+ males (10-50+ performers possible). Technical Requirements: All settings are meant to be suggested, so that the play can be done in almost any kind of venue, including touring as part of an anti-bullying program (many high schools have produced the play for local middle schools). How to Order: Thank You for Flushing... is available from Playscripts. To read an excerpt, order a reading copy or order performance rights, click here! |
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SYNOPSIS
Achilles and Helen get picked on at school—a lot. Achilles has a regular date with a bully who flushes his head in the toilet, and Helen has become so afraid of the girls who ridicule her that she invents reasons to be late. So when cool girl Glinda, their "bully buddy," appears and offers them a way out, they jump at the chance. But when they realize Glinda's solution is to turn them into bullies, they both resist—and she sends them back to a school that is even worse than the one they left. Their only means of escape is to try it Glinda's way. But does saving themselves mean becoming the very people who have tormented them? |
Photo credits (clockwise from banner): Hagerty High School Productions (Oviedo, FL); University Hill Secondary School (Vancouver, BC, Canada; photos by Mits Naga); Burroughs High School (Ridgecrest, CA).